The Puzzle that Falls into Place
by kiliwaRECKLESS
Summary: After the wedding, after high school things are still uncertain. Akane and Ranma find it hard to say the words. Ukyo is hidding something. Ryoga wont visit Nerima. Akane is in danger and Team Ranma need to find her quickly before its too late.
1. In His Place

I do not own Ranma 1/2 or the characters. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi...lucky.

The light coming from the light posts framing the street were flickering and some stood dark. Nerima was tucked with a blanket over the sky and the smell of moist grass lay in the air. It was 11 pm, everyone asleep, everyone safe and happy under their warm blankets. Everyone except Ukyo Kounji.

She walked the lonely streets, her head bowed down and her shoulders stooped.

_Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. I cant believe I would sink so low and try to put razors in their wedding cake. I'm just like Shampoo. I'm a jackass._

She sighed, her arms hung loosely beside her hips.

_Ran-chan chose already. I should just accept it._

She kicked the tiny rocks that lay innocently in front of her. Heart swollen from the shame and sadness that she could never express lay at the pit of her stomach. She forced and disciplined herself to not feel emotions considered as girly. She faked being a boy her whole life and learned to act like one but somewhere inside of her she ached to be a pretty girl or even be able to have a strong and manly arm hug her.

_Ranma_. She thought.

The boy that kept her going and haunted her dreams. The very thought of him made her heart skip a few paces. She was promised to him since a child and the reason that brought her to Nerima. But her journey there made her realize that it has always been his decision if he wanted Ukyo. He never did and always considered her his friend. She always ignored it and persisted to win his heart. She soon realized that his heart was already conquered by a short-haired girl. _Akane_. She sighed again.

She had been walking for what seemed 2 hours not noticing where she was going. She looked up and saw trees surrounding her. She scratched her head in confusion and looked around.

"Shit..where the heck am I?", her voice broke the eerie silence of the still forest.

Crickets chirped silently and the smell of moist dirt tickled her nose. She kept walking forward, her eyes wide open trying to look for a light, for warmth, for hope.

_Stupid, stupid. I should have known this would happen. I guess I just wasn't ready for that wedding invitation. I don't know what made me act like a total jackass. I'm not a psycho! I'm not like Shampoo and I pray to the gods that I am certainly not like Kodachi_. She sighed again. _I'm beginning to think that I'm exactly like her or worse_.

The darkness seemed like a weight, her skin felt heavy. Her ears hummed and she began to feel claustrophobic.

She saw a light coming closer from a distance. Her aching limbs were bothering her and her stockings were wet and splattered with mud. A faint smile crept at the corner of her mouth, she hadn't smiled since 'their' wedding. As she walked closer to see what exactly was illuminating the forest around her she noticed that it was a bonfire. A small, warm, comfortable fire. She stayed in the bushes that lined the clearing. There was a small tent a good way behind the fire. A rack, probably hand-made, beside the fire as well. There were a few pairs of socks, a pair of pants and a yellow shirt handing on it to dry. Uyko sighed in relief.

Suddenly, she felt a hand grab hold of her shirt and tossed her into the clearing, she quickly found her feet. She looked towards the bushes behind her, eyes searching wildly for an enemy. She stood in battle stance and mentally kicked herself for leaving Ucchan's without her giant spatula. She clenched her hands in tight fists and narrowed her eyes.

"Ukyo?"

Her eyes widened as she saw a familiar face creep out of the bushes.

"Forgive me. You kinda sneaked up on me. A martial artist is always on high alert." He flashed his pointy teeth into a queasy smile.

"Sugar, I should be the one to talk. You sneaked up on me. I almost kicked your head clean off." Ukyo was relieved and watched Ryoga scratch the back of his head as he walked to her.

He stared at her up and down in silence with blazing chocolate eyes, she blushed and felt a sudden jolt of anger.

"What's your problem?!" He pointed at her feet and she looked down to see her muddy streaked stockings and shoes.

"Oh yeah. I've been lost."

Ryoga smiled, "Yeah me too."

Ukyo's stomach went warm. She always felt kind of bad for him. The eternal lost boy. _Poor poor Ryoga_. He was as hopeless as a compass without an arrow, he had no sense of direction, he could get lost in a one room apartment. Hopeless romantic and awkward, it was too bad he devoted his heart to Akane. Seems like Ryoga and I are in the same page. They stood in silence for what seemed like 3 minutes. When she shivered and crossed her arms, Ryoga cleared his throat trying to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Its better to travel during the day...its already kind of late. I can give you some clean and dry clothes if you want." Ukyo smiled warmly at him and nodded.

He quickly searched his pack that lay near the tent. He took out a pair of pants and socks and handed them to Ukyo. Ryoga widened his eyes as Ukyo took his calloused hand in between her soft hands. Sweat poured from his brow.

"Uh."

She bowed, touching her forehead to the back of his hand.

"Thank you Ryoga. Really, thank you."

It made Ryoga shiver even though he wasn't cold. His palms became sweaty and his pulse quickened. What he wanted the most was to yank his hand from hers and crawl under a rock. He wasn't use to people being nice to him, even more when it was a woman.

"Uh---um---really Ukyo. It's the least thing I could do."

She looked at him and smiled again, his face seemed to melt every time. _I'm such a nervous wreck around girls. Pathetic_. Ryoga didn't notice that he was staring at Ukyo.

A vein popped on her temple, "Why do you keep staring at me jackass?"

Ryoga shook his head and blushed. She untied her pants, and looked at him.

"Well are you going to stand there? Or are you going to turn around? Because I'm not going to change in front of you!" she said tapping her foot.

Ryoga jumped and walked to the tent, his back to Ukyo. Hands shaking and nervous, he figited with his belongings. As she changed quickly she watched him, his back was the only thing in view. She tried to shake a very inappropriate thought from her head: if only she could stretch out her hand and feel him, if she could only feel his tight body_...Come on girl, what are you thinking?_ What was coming over her? She never thought of Ryoga like this!

Ryoga put out a tarp that stretched out from the tent to the fire. He held a blanket folded in his arms and sat cross-legged in front of the fire, Ukyo joined him sitting next to him. Staring at the fire crackling their minds were racing through the week that passed. Ranma and Akane. Their wedding. When they held that invitation for their wedding it wasn't a celebration...it was heartbreak. The world came crashing into a violent stop and all the fear that they hoped that would never be experienced was glued to their chest. It made their muscles tense, it made their heart swell with the pain that they were denied. Ukyo never cried once, she forced herself to keep everything in. As the fire danced in front of her she sighed and thought of everything that was weighing her down. Ryoga did too, he felt like a jerk for taking advantage of Akane for his personal gain. He thought of the fact that he changed into P-chan to have her warm embrace surround him because he was too afraid to face her as a man. He felt like a coward for not telling her, for keeping her in the dark.

"This past week was the worst week I've had in my life." He said, putting his face in his hands and rubbing it .

"Ditto hun. Its kind of hard to think that we all fought till the end. How desperate we all were, going as far as to try and stop them."

She couldn't believe she said it out loud, hearing her voice admit it made her accept it.

"We're so pathetic. We just have to live with it and there's no point of it now. They chose each other. We shouldn't have forced ourselves on them." His voice sounded muffled through his hands.

They were silent, both staring at the fire. Ukyo couldn't believe what they were talking about. She couldn't believe that she actually said what she felt out loud. She had to be strong and act like nothing faced her. She had the discipline she had everything that anyone could ever want. Whether Ranma didn't want her it didn't matter anymore. She wasn't going to feel pain no more, she couldn't allow it.

Ryoga unwrapped the blanket and lay it on top of his legs, he held one side to Ukyo. She was deep in thought and didn't notice him offering warmth. He touched her lightly in the arm, it made her shiver.

"Its kind of cold out. I know its not much but its the only blanket I have. If you don't mind we can share it." Ukyo gave a weak smile and took the side of the blanket, feeling kind of touched at the fact that he was being so nice to her. Maybe that's what she needed. Someone who cared if she was sad or even cold.

He was warm, his body was giving a massive amout of heat. Ukyo scoot closer to him and let her hip hit his. Ryoga tensed but quickly found the gesture endearing. She stared at the fire continuing her train of thought.

_I hate this. Stuck out here. Cold. Miserable. Thinking of that idiot._

She felt the hot stream of tears coming down her face, she couldn't keep it together anymore and fell apart from the seams. Her body ached and she felt like kicking uncontrollably because the pain was drowning her . She sniffled then wiped her tears quickly with the sleeve of her shirt wondering and screaming at herself for being weak. Ryoga turned to look at her, his heart sank when he saw Ukyo's walls of defenses tumble down into ash, he saw a softer side of her that he liked. But he didn't know what to do, he felt nervous. The only thought that stuck out in his brain like a sore thumb was to wrap his arm around her to make her feel better. He hesitated and tried to fight the thought back but he could never leave her like that. Ignoring the red flag waving in his head, he slowly stretched his arm out covering her shoulders into a hug. She quickly clasped her arms around his strong torso and dug her face into his neck. He felt the hot and wet tears covering his skin. She shook violently as she broke down.

"It hurts Ryoga. I hate it! I hate everything. I cant belive I thought I could have him!" She yelled, her lips brushed his neck.

Ryoga shuttered, "I know. I know."

He rubbed her back. That's all he had to say and do. He felt everything Ukyo felt. He had to be strong, if not for himself it was for Ukyo. For this moment.

For a moment nothing happened as Ukyo's sobs died down. The smell of him calmed her, his slow and steady breathing paced hers. He loosened his hold on her and dug deep into his pack, smiling. She stared in wonderment. He turned, showing her a bottle of sake.

"We need a toast."

She smiled at the silly face he was making.

"I know it sounds stupid but...no one is around to disapprove. A toast because I WONT be miserable. No more thoughts of the past. Deal?"

Ukyo rubbed her nose and nodded, she had nothing to lose.

For the next hour they proceeded to toast to their dilemma and soon everything to everyone they knew.

"A toast to Shampoo...making us look like the normal ones!"

"A toast to the socks that are hanging dry...they look like they're having a good time!"

"A toast to this bottle because everything looks a lot more interesting."

Through the hiccups and burps they laughed hysterically. Ukyo stood up and snatched the bottle of sake from Ryoga. She threw her arms in the air, her shirt lifted only slightly to reveal the skin under her belly-button and it made Ryoga gulp.

"A toast to you, Sugar! Because you have always been the nicest boy to me and that's all I need."

She pointed at Ryoga and tipped the bottle over and drank some. Her face cringed and she swayed side to side. Ryoga was at her side trying to keep her from falling but to his surprise he had lost his balance when he stood up.

He snatched the bottle from her, "And the final toast to you---", putting the bottle to his eye, seeing there was only a tiny bit left. "---the hottest little number from here to the ends of the earth!"

He drank the last bit and threw it into the bushes. They both laughed. As their chuckles died down, they sat infront of the fire again.

"Ryoga!" Ukyo lay her head back with her mouth open trying to fill her lungs with the cool air.

Ryoga smiled, "mmm..."

She didn't turn.

"I feel dizzy."

She laughed with no effort. Ryoga shook his head, "We better go to sleep. We might wake the neighbors."

Ukyo looked at him with a serious face.

"There's no one around for about 2 hours."

She laughed and struggled to get up. Sticking her butt up in the air and holding herself with her hands, she pushed herself up. Her legs felt like noodles and her head spun. Loosing her balance, she fell in top of Ryoga hitting his head on the floor. Legs straddled him, her face hit his cement chest. He sat up quickly and she fell facing him in between his crossed legs. They laughed with no effort. Ryoga put his hands on her waist to keep her balanced not exactly realizing where his hands were. She looked down at his chest, the shirt was torn in various places. Her eyes caressed his skin and she began tracing her fingers to the patches exposed, paying close attention to the feel of the heat coming through. He watched her and felt the tips of her fingers graze him, it made his insides warm and the pit of his stomach felt like some kind of chemical reaction was about explode. He put his hand to her jaw, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. Why didn't he know? Why didn't he realize that Ukyo was a beautiful girl. So much time was wasted chasing a girl that he could never have. In fact, they all were wasting their time. Here they sat with their hands all over each other and still scared to let go. It didn't make sense and Ryoga knew it and he wasn't about to make himself feel stupid once again. He wasn't going to make the same mistake anymore and let something pass him by. _Grow a back-bone Hibiki!_ Her delicate features burned in his head it made a smile curl his lips, she pressed her cheek to her shoulder catching his thumb with her teeth. Gently she nibbled on it and her tongue lightly touching him. Ryoga felt blood rush through his body like a speedway of cars and his body begged for more. He grabbed her chin and slowly, very slowly he closed the space in between their lips. She gasped silently with anticipation. Something came over Ukyo, she felt like she had been waiting for this for far too long and found it hard to resist. He lightly pressed his lips to hers. As they both opened their mouths the smell of alcohol was ever present in their noses, tongues clashed with wet enthusiasm and hands explored each others bodies. They crawled into the small tent, lips never leaving each other. His shirt no longer on him, lay outside the tent. Ryoga's fingers slid under the tape that bound her breasts down to reveal. It was a whirlwind of pictures in their heads. Ryoga's face. The smell of alcohol. Skin against skin. It was as if they were in a sauna. As sweat covered hands on his back scratched deep in his flesh, it made his body go numb. It was all a blur, then it all went blank.

_What happened?_


	2. The Big Breath Before Summer

Ranma tapped his forehead with a pencil _**donk donk donk**_. He sighed and stared at the board with no interest wishing he was somewhere else.

Akane glanced at him and rolled her eyes in annoyance.

_You would think that the idiot would be bored of being bored in class. Honestly!_

As the rest of the years of Furinkan High School came to a closing rather peacefully (As peaceful as it gets in Nerima, Japan) everyone watched the clock, anticipating the end of text books, essays and insane body changing teachers.

**RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING**

Papers filled the air and cheers from summer-craving students and crowds formed on doors as students pushed each other to the outside wanting the fresh smell of freedom. Akane packed her books quickly inside her bag, a strong hand grabbed her wrist pulling her to her feet. She quickly caught the strap of her bag with the other hand and looked up at steel blue eyes.

"Let's go Akane!"

Ranma looked down at her smiling, excitement conquered his face. He pulled her on his back and held on to her legs on either side of him. They jumped out from the 2nd story window and neatly landed on the pavement and sprinted to the streets of Nerima.

"Where the hell are we going?!" Akane managed to say bouncing at his strides.

"To Uuchan's! The guys are going to be there---And I'm sure Sayuri and the girls will be there too." He added when she squeezed uncomfortably tight on his neck.

"I thought you hated this kind of stuff. You hate parties."

Akane was amused, lifting a questionable eyebrow.

"One thing I will celebrate is the end of my high school...sweet sweet freedom." He smiled to himself.

* * *

"Good thing I didn't have a last period, if I did I wouldn't have made it. The streets were insane with people running everywhere. It would've taken me half and hour to open up."

Ukyo wiped her brow from sweat. She smiled at Akane.

"Yeah, Ranma did the usual. Jump out of a window."

They laughed in unison. Ukyo flipped okonomiyaki for the patrons. The small restaurant was filled with their friends, tables were scooted together. Playing cards scattered, cups of tea and sake, plates full of Uuchan's delicious Japanese pizza, boys poking at each other, girls giggling among themselves. Akane looked across the room and smiled.

_Ranma_.

He was playing poker with an ever loosing Tatewaki Kuno and Mousse. Arms crossed glaring down at his winnings, the usual Ranma.

_Dork._

She giggled. It was great that they could at least salvage some friendships that they thought they lost after the infamous wedding that never happened. After all the bad things that happened, now it seemed to Akane...things seemed a little normal. The occasional enemy but nothing too bad but, as Akane sat in a stool in Uuchan's she couldn't help but feel her heart sink when she thought of that day. All the various suitors and fiance's came only to ruin their long expected wedding after she had thought that Ranma and her could finally make a choice. After he could be hers but it just kind of slipped into something of the same situation. They never spoke about getting married and...

..._he sure as hell hasn't even shown any sign of wanting to marry again, he just avoids the idea._

She huffed. It made her bands fly out of her face.

"What's the matter, sugar?"

Ukyo tapped on Akane's shoulder with an honest concern for her friend. Blazing hazel eyes turned to her and frowned.

"Nothing really."

Ukyo's brows tensed together.

"Hun, after years of knowing you I know that something is the matter. Spill it."

For a second Akane thought about what to say, she stared at her for a long minute and bit her lip.

"Well after....you know, the wedding---"

Ukyo placed her hand in her stomach, Akane looked up at her expression and Ukyo waved her off as if to say she's over it.

"---well, he draws a blank. He doesn't discuss it. He's his usual self, though I would have to say that he's been a little less of a jerk. We still fight but that's beside the point. Do you get where I'm getting at?"

Akane stooped her shoulders and sighed. Ukyo smiled softly and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Akane...things will work out. Trust me. You know Ran-chan is a big dolt when it comes to this stuff. He'll find the words..."

Akane smiled weakly.

"He's a stubborn idiot."

_And so are you, my dear. Just like him._

Ukyo smiled and continued flipping what lay on her grill.

* * *

"Hahaha, pay up Kuno baby. Pay up! Come on Mousse...don't be stingy with your money. You lost...its only fair."

Ranma laughed silently to himself as he counted his 10,000 yen. Kuno and Mousse sipped at their sake.

"Cheating Saotome. You never win!"

Kuno smiled handsomely from his cup of sake. Mousse scratched his eyes and laughed at himself.

"I know, i cant believe he cleaned us out. Well---I don't know about Kuno baby. It would take the whole world going poor to clean you out."

The three chuckled.

"Yeah yeah ducky."

Mousse punched Kuno lightly in the chin jokingly. Ranma leaned his back to the chair and balanced himself on two back legs. He glanced over to Akane talking to Ukyo, he couldn't help but smiled warmly. She always looked cute when she smiles. Kuno and Mousse looked at him then glanced at each other. Mousse rolled his eyes and sighed.

"The one that got away from Saotome, ladykiller."

Ranma snapped back to him.

"Got away? Ha!"

Mousse and Kuno looked at each other with an amusing smile.

"Well---"

Kuno crossed his fingers and lay back on the chair.

"---as we can all recall, Saotome. You never DID marry her."

A vein popped on Ranma's temple as a reminder flashed across his mind.

"Well, jerks its not my fault! I didn't ruin it AS I RECALL!"

His eyes widened to them and they proceeded to blush.

"Besides, its arranged."

Mousse crossed his arms. He's heard the same excuse every time the subject was brought up.

"Arranged BUT...you could always say no. You never did. You saved her a bunch of times and she saved you. Not only because its your responsibility but because in some sense you two care for each other. No matter the fights or the name calling...deep down, Saotome, you love the girl. You can deny it as much as you can but...we all know it."

Ranma looked at both his friend's faces, each more serious than the next and felt defeated for the 1st time.

"Okay, I will admit that I care for her. I have to. After being so use to having her around its just a second nature to beat the living crap out of any guy who would even remotely think of her in that way. No offense Kuno."

Kuno smiled and waved it off.

"None taken, thou does know."

He said jokingly, long after the ruined wedding Kuno put his past behind him, along with his ever annoying Shakespeare speaking butt. He also began dating Nabiki Tendo a year ago, he was a changed man.

"All I'm saying is that I'll marry when I want and who I want to. I can make my own decisions. I don't want Pop or anyone to force me into things, we all know where it has got me."

Mousse scratched his chin and shrugged.

"Maybe you're right. Just think about everything long and hard. Do the right thing. I know I'm happier now."

He smiled thinking of the relief he had when he finally told Shampoo that he no longer desired to chase her. He realized that he no longer could keep up with the Chinese amazon and his energy failed and now he was looking to train and possibly meet someone special. Shampoo and Cologne left to China.

"Well---"

Kuno got up and sighed, stretching out his hand to his friends. The other on his cell phone.

"I have to go. Nabiki keeps texting me. I have to go pick up some groceries on the way home. Saotome, Mousse."

They exchanged handshakes and Kuno left. "He's so whopped." Mousse said quietly, Ranma snickered.

"Completely."

* * *

Ukyo stood in front of the mirror, she wore over-sized sleeping pants and a white tank. She lifted her shirt to reveal her stomach, she touched the thin scar a good deal under her belly button. She frowned.

* * *

"You're such a jerk Ranma!"

Akane swatted Ranma away from her shoulder. Her fingers hit his nose, he laughed.

"Geez Akane now you decide to talk to me. The whole time you were talking to everyone else."

He couldn't help but feel a speck of jealousy.

"I have enough of you at home."

She stuck her tongue out and smiled.

"Tomboys.."

Ranma rolled his eyes.

"Jerk...Let's hurry home its late."

Akane tapped at her wrist watch, it showed 11pm. Things had changed a significant amount, they no longer fought like before. They both had matured a lot more and learned to ignore the small comments. But they never spoke about the wedding, they never spoke about what happened in Jusenkyo. They couldn't, it just brought up a lot of painful memories. They slid the front door slowly, trying not to make noise. They slipped off their shoes and quietly made their way upstairs parting their separate ways to their rooms. Akane lay her head on her door, staring at the ever-smiling duck. She turned to look at him, she smiled weakly,

"Goodnight Ranma."

She said in the lowest whisper he could bearly hear her. Ranma watched Akane slowly close her door and smiled at himself.

* * *

Ranma woke up to the smell of Kasumi's usual breakfast, he rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock. 7:00am. Nice way to start the day. He got and grabbed his clothes, grabbed his toothbrush and put it in his mouth and headed to the restroom.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

_**SLAP**_

Ranma fell hard on his back, hitting his head on the floor. To his surprise (he always had the luck) Akane was changing when he decided to walk into the restroom. She held a shirt to her chest.

"You jerk! You pervert! What do you think you're doing?!"

Ranma sat up and scratched his head, rage boiling off the scale.

"What makes you think that I would want to look at an uncute tomboy like you!? I didn't know you were in there! You didn't have to go and hit me for that!"

She pointed her nose in the air and slammed the door.

"It would be helpful if you could knock!"

She roared behind the door.

"Well maybe you should lock the damn door next time!"

* * *

"My my my. If this is going to be the way you two act for this summer we're going to have a problem."

Kasumi sat in between Ranma and Akane staring at each other. They had finished breakfast in a blink of an eye without a word. If looks could kill, they would both be out cold till kingdom comes. A letter lay on the dinner table;

Akane and Ranma,

Genma and I are going to be away on a trip with Happosai for some training. Will be back in a few months. Nadoka left to Tokyo to visit some friends. Take care of yourselves. Try not to blow holes in the roof. I'm not made of money.

Soun Tendo

* * *

"Akane, I expect you to behave. I'm going to go see Nabiki. I'll be staying with the Kuno's for a few days." Kasumi smiled and closed Akane's door.

_Well isn't that nice! Leave me here with this Baka! On summer none the less! Just when I thought i ran out of bad luck. _

Akane sighed reading the letter over a few times. She put her face in her hands.

_This is going to be so awkward._

* * *

_Stupid Akane. Stupid Pops. Why do they always have to pull this kind of stuff? Why'd she have to slap me so hard? And why did Mom decide to leave now? _

Ranma lay spread out on the dojo floor staring up in the ceiling. His fingers scratched under his red Chinese-style shirt. He sighed.

_Well, there's no use complaining about it. _

He hopped to his stomach and began doing push ups with ease. He curled his hand on his back and touched the floor with two fingers.

"Hey, I'm going to go to the market with Sayuri. I'll be back in a bit."

Akane was watched him from the door. She wore a white sleeveless shirt that was tight on her body, she also wore some khaki shorts that showed her long legs, it made Ranma fell strange in unknown places. He looked up at her, not breaking his concentration.

"Yeah."

She turned heel and felt. Ranma stopped in mid push up and looked after her.

* * *

Steam made his lungs swell like if they weren't getting enough oxygen, he breathed in deeply. He closed his eyes and lay back, he focused on the feel of the heat tickling his skin, his fingertips touched his chest it made him sensitive. He thought of Akane. Her smile, her eyes, her smell, her feel. As much as he fought with her and the rest of the world he could never admit anything. He was scared. Admitting he was scared was defeat and Ranma Saotome never lost. Half of him wanted to be alone with Akane this whole summer but the other half dreaded it. He was torn in half and unsure. He couldn't help but fight with her and every time he wanted to say something nice it made her even more mad. But the flame that sparked in those chocolate eyes when she was angry or happy made him weak to his knees. The essence of Akane came through those burning eyes. If he could only see the real her it didn't matter if it meant that he could be kicked into the sky. If no one was around maybe everything would be different. He wished that everything was as simple as the 1st words Akane spoke to him before she knew about his sex-changing curse..._Do you want to be friends?_ The brief period where there were no fiances or suitors around to pull them apart. Where no one was there to spy on them. He wished it was all simple. He kicked himself for not ever finding the words to tell her what was screaming in his heart. He was sure he disappointed her. He sighed.

_I wonder where Akane is. She's been gone all day._

He sighed.

He changed and quickly found his way downstairs into the dinning room. The doors were still open the night lay beyond them, a small breeze filled the room. The TV was on, the noise seemed muffled. Akane sat sleeping, her head on her crossed arms leaned over the table. The TV remote lay a few inches from her, he could see her back steadily go up and down with a rhythm. Ranma closed the doors that lead out to the garden and kneeled down to Akane. He wrapped one arm under her knees and one under her back and lifted her. Careful not to wake her, he took her to her room. He pulled the sheets down and placed her gently on her bed sitting next to her. He tucked her in, she stirred and opened one eye to look at him. She smiled.

"Ranma."

He smiled back, he couldn't help but think she looked cute.

"I hate fighting with you."

She turned on the bed and hugged her blankets, she seemed half-asleep.

"Me too. You know I don't mean all those things." he whispered, feeling relieved as he said those words.

She closed her eyes and smiled. He felt his body tingle.

"Goodnight Akane."


	3. What Was Missing

"I ordered ramen for lunch. Don't worry, I didn't cook. I'll let you live today." Akane called Ranma from the dojo, he was cleaning the floors. He hopped up quickly and walked with her to the the dining room not ignoring his complaning stomach. They sat on opposite ends and quietly ate their meal. Akane got up to pick up the plates smiling.

"Ranma, do you want to go to the park today?"

He was taken back.

"Uh---why do you wanna go?"

_Smooth Saotome. Smooth._

She ignored it and smiled, "Just, so we dont have to stay here all day. You want to go?"

Ranma gulped, "Uh---yeah, sure."

She clapped her hands together to her mouth, "Let me just change so we could go!" She ran upstairs.

Ranma sat alone in the dining room. "She seems really happy today." He rolled his eyes and sat up thinking of the image of Akane deciding what to wear. He went to the front door and crossed his arms, waiting for her to change. He looked down at his shoes kicking the tiny rocks, the front door swung open. His mouth went abnormally dry.

She wore a banana yellow a-line dress, ruffles lined the inside of the skirt. The straps delicately framed her shoulders running to the back into a deep v. Half of her back lay bare and she wore a big red flower on her short dark blue hair. She twirled around showing off her new dress.

"So? What do you think?" she said, breathlessly.

"Uhh---" He couldn't let the words out, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants.

She smiled softly and walked ahead of him, "Enough is said."

* * *

The park was bare, only a handful of people were walking around. It smelled of fresh cut grass, they walked casually around the empty playground. They were silent, Ranma felt like he needed to break the silence.

"Really Akane, you get dressed up to come to the stupid park." He nagged on her. Classic.

"I just wanted to do something today you jerk. You didn't have to come, I could've invited someone else who likes coming to the park." Temper slowly starting to rise.

"Well you should've invited some other guy who likes having a boring time with you." He closed his eyes and crossed his arms stubborn as a mule.

She turned to him, stomping one foot down cracking the sidewalk. "WELL...excuse me for being BORING! Ranma, I invited you because I wanted to get out of the house! You shouldn't have said yes if you didn't want to come. Leave me alone you Baka!" Stomping one foot in front of the other, she walked into the park maze. A sea of green swallowed her.

Ranma stood alone looking to where Akane disappeared.

_Every time man. Every time that we're having a decent time I have to open my mouth and screw it up. _

His hands fidgeted on his sides and the urge in his stomach bothered him. He had to go apologize, he knew that he probably hurt her feelings. 'Probably' wasn't the word, He DID hurt her feelings. She seemed so happy to go to the park with him and he just told her that he rather be somewhere else. Nice going Saotome.

_I guess I have no choice._

He ran inside the colossal sea of green hedges after her.

"AKANE!" he shouted. His eyes frantically looking from one dead end to the other with no success.

"AKANE!" he shouted again. He began running through the passage for what seemed an eternity in that god-forsaken maze, his eyes began to get sore of the amount of green they were exposed to. He rubbed his eyes.

_Come on Akane. _

His throat became dry from screaming, he looked up to the sky to see that the sun has been starting to go down. He was worried.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A scream filled his ear, it took his breath away. He had a bad feeling about it. Something didn't set right with him, it didn't sound right. He heard the scream again...

_It sounds scary familiar. I hope its not Akane._

He sprinted to the source. He pressed his ear to the hedge and stood still.

"Look at this pretty little lady with no one to show her a good time." A voice calmly said.

Ranma's eyes widened and stuck his face through the brush. He counted 4 guys in a huddle, 3 of which were holding someone. Restraining her, their filthy hands holding Akane. The last one held a knife to her throat as his eyes caressed her body, Ranma felt a jolt of anger that he clenched his teeth together and almost shattered them.

"Let's just see exactly what she is hiding under that pretty little skirt." His hands slowly moved to the bottom of her skirt. In that instant, Ranma sprang from the bushes and grabbed a hold of his hand.

"I'm sorry buddy but she's not yours."

Ranma smiled handsomely. Suddenly the man swang at him with his other hand. Quickly, Ranma dodged it and managed to spin him knocking him to the ground. At the same time Akane took the chance to head-butt the man holding her arms back, he was stunned and loosened his grip on her. She tightened her hold on his arms and flung him head-first into a light post a few feet away. She turned to kick the other two that were holding down her legs, they fell to the floor unconscious with broken teeth. Ranma and Akane turned to the man with the knife.

"Don't ever let me catch you around here, letch! If I see you try to lay a hand on her...I'll personally make sure your hands are obliterated. And that's a promise." Ranma said, sternly.

The man turned heel to leave and was caught by two fists that sent him flying into the air. Ranma watched his body grow smaller and smaller. Akane put her hands in her face and shook. He watched her for a second not knowing what he should do. She sprang at him and closed her arms around his torso, he froze.

"Ranma! You dummy!"

He felt mad, he felt frustrated. He couldn't stand seeing someone touch her. She was his! Didn't they know that? His fists tightened as the image of those dirty men holding Akane trying to have their way with her flashed across his mind. If he didn't get there at the time that he did he couldn't imagine what they would've done! He would've killed them with his bare hands and no one in the world would stop him.

"Akane! Why did you have to go and run into this stupid maze! You always find trouble!"

She looked up at him, tears rolling down her face, "Why are you blaming me? I just wanted to spend some time with you." He looked at her long and hard, searching her face as if trying to fish for an excuse.

He felt like a jerk.

Here she was getting dressed up and looking cute and he was acting like a idiot. If there was one thing that Akane always did was think of Ranma, she always tried to cook for him even though that gave him stomach aches. She woke him up for school when she could just let him be late. She had done a lot of things for him including risking her life and when she only asked one thing of him, he couldn't do it, he always chickened out.

"I'm sorry Akane."

He finally spoke, almost running out of air.

"I know I've been a real jerk to you. You know I'm not good with words. I always try to say something nice and I open my mouth and make you angry or hurt you. You know I don't mean it. I always have to say something that ruins everything. I'm wrong, I should have done better than this. I did want to come, actually I was really happy when you asked me to come with you."

He stared at her, the sweetest sadness in her fiery eyes.

"I wanted to spend time with you too."

She smiled weakly at him, her face with fresh streaks of tears, he wiped away the remaining with his thumb. She stood on the tips of her toes and brushed her lips against his. This time it was different, this time he wasn't scared. It was the right moment for him to throw caution to the wind and knock down his walls of defense. He didn't feel the rock in the pit of his stomach, he actually didn't feel all those nervous emotions. As he stood there with her in his arms and her lips on his, he drifted to cloud 9. It was burned in his brain. The feel of her lips, the softness, and the taste.

How had he been missing this?


	4. Ryoga Arrives In Nerima

The sound of chopsticks hitting ceramic plates filled the dinning room. Laughs erupted as Ranma fought Ukyo for the last pickle. Akane and Nabiki talked of college and funds. Kuno and Mousse deep in a conversation about a trip they were planning for next week to the beach. It was 2 months since they had graduated school and spent summer together. It had been a month since the maze.

"Honey, you want some more rice?"

Kasumi smiled at Tofu Ono.

"Sure thing."

Kasumi got a scoop of rice and put it in his empty bowl smiling at him, he kissed her arm and she blushed.

"Ranma, I cant believe you took the last piece of pork. I called it!"

Akane poked him in the stomach with her chopsticks, he smiled.

"Speaking of pork. I wonder where Ryoga has gone to. I haven't seen him in like 6 months."

He couldn't help but miss him a tiny bit. Ukyo's heart raced, she stayed quiet. Akane turned to Ranma.

"Well, he sent me a postcard from Ryugenzawa. He was training and went to go visit Shinnosuke. His grandfather has been getting really sick lately. That was probably a month ago. He said he was going to leave the next day. He should be getting here any time now."

Ranma scratched his head. Nabiki sighed.

"Have you guys noticed something? Ever since like a few years he's been in Nerima less and less. He's been more serious, well...more serious than he already is."

Mousse nodded. "I have a feeling it wasn't the wedding---"

He looked around and whispered.

"The last time I spoke to him he kind of spilled the beans about why he wasn't going to be around here a lot."

Ukyo gulped, she knew it was because of her. Frustration took on Nabiki.

"Well?!"

Mousse whispered even lower, everyone leaned their heads closer to him.

"Well---he just told me that something happened with a special someone. Something turned for the worse and being away from Nerima kept his memories at bay." They all nodded, Ukyo's hands were sweating.

_Ryoga._

The dining room went silent.

"Okay, enough of an awkward silence. Are we still on for the beach next week or what?" Ranma spoke through a mouth full of rice.

"YEAH!"

Fists flew in the air.

* * *

Ukyo dipped her fingers into the koi pond, Akane sat Indian-style next to her with her hands behind her holding her up. The sun was going down, the sky bled. The door to the dining area lay wide open, the light cast down to where they were sitting. Ranma and Mousse sat in the table watching TV. The spotted koi fish nibbled playfully at her finger, she sighed. Akane looked at her,

"What's wrong?"

Ukyo didn't look back. She hugged her knees with her other arm.

"Nothing."

Akane raised an eyebrow.

"Ukyo, you've been happy all day. In dinner you were fine until we mentioned Ryoga."

Ukyo's stomach gave a lurch, her face burned up.

"I don't give a damn about him!"

Her voice shook, Akane noticed.

"Dont give a damn?"

Ukyo looked at her trying to fight back the tears.

"That's right. I don't give a damn about that jackass! Good thing he never comes around!"

Akane looked at her calmly, "Ukyo---"

She touched her arm.

"---when Mousse said about that special someone...Ryoga was talking about you, wasn't he?" Ukyo placed her hand in her stomach, feeling the urge to scream.

"Ryoga! You just got in!"

Ranma and Mousse got up to greet Ryoga who walked into the dining room. His eyes found a familiar face, Ukyo looked up at him, pain smeared across her face. She stood and ran into the dojo, Akane got the her feet quickly and smiled looking guilty at Ryoga.

"Welcome back."

She ran after Ukyo. Ranma and Mousse stared at each other with wonderment.

"Where do you suppose those girls went?"

Ranma scratched his head. Ryoga stared at the patch of grass where Ukyo sat and frowned.

* * *

He stared at his bowl of rice and poked at it with his chopsticks. His ears hummed at the conversation that Ranma and Mousse were having, he wasn't paying attention. He put his hand under his chin and looked over to them half dazed. Ranma looked at him and frowned.

"Ryoga...eat something! You haven't touched your food. You're never here and when you do decide to show up you're all depressed and stuff."

Ryoga looked at him with a bored expression.

"Cant help it."

Mousse stared at him and scratched his nose.

"I guess someone isn't happy to see you."

He gestured towards the garden with his eyes. Ryoga shrugged and looked down at his rice pretending that it was saying something interesting. It was Ukyo that occupied his mind every time that he was Nerima. He hadn't seen her in 3 years and her face only brought painful memories.

Ranma looked at him with a serious face and scratched his chin, thinking.

Why was he acting so weird? He never acted THAT weird. At least not that he could remember. What's up with Ukyo and him? They cant stand looking at each other, they get all quiet when they mention them.

_What's going on here? _

* * *

The floor of the dojo lay dark and smooth, Akane's eyes followed the cracks of the boards. The wood whined under her feet, she saw something shine from far away. Ukyo wiped her face with the neck of her shirt and sniffled.

"Go away Akane!"

Akane frowned and stepped closer to her. Ukyo closed her eyes infuriated and swang her arms towards Akane. She caught them and stared at her. Ukyo's face softened and tears came rolling down her face, Akane wrapped her arms around her. She rubbed her back.

"Talk to me."

Ukyo shook, "I cant be around him. I cant see him anymore."

Akane frowned and hugged her tighter.

* * *

*Tell me what ya'll think. Its my 1st try in writing a fanfiction. I'm still in the progress of finishing it. It'll be interesting in the end. I promise.

SEND ME REVIEWS!


	5. Strange Encounter

Ranma closed the door to the cramped restroom softly so no one could hear them arguing, he turned to greet a pair of fiery eyes.

"What the hell were you thinking when you invited Ryoga? That everything was going to be fine and dandy?"

She poked him in the chest and with one quick move he grabbed her finger.

"Look, what was I suppose to do? Not invite the guy when he knew about it? Come on, Akane! I'm a jerk but THAT much of a jerk."

They stared at each other, sparks coming from their eyes. Nabiki lay her hands in their shoulders, "You two are fighting in vain. It doesn't matter who was right here...Ryoga and Ukyo are already here. All we can do is try to enjoy the time we have here and make it as comfortable as we can for BOTH of them. Ryoga already left to the beach, I say we join the fun. We came for it...not drama."

Ranma rolled his eyes in annoyance but kept his mouth shut.

"Alright. Let's go then."

One month was left of summer and as they planned the trip to the beach they couldn't help but feel sad that soon they were all going to go their separate ways. No one knew this better than Ranma. His secret fear of Akane leaving for college seemed more real and it scared the living crap out of him. He was beginning to get use to having Akane being with him alone and barely puckered up the courage to look at her for longer than 3 minutes without blushing, she couldn't leave him now! Didn't she know that he needed her?

* * *

The boys stocked up with water-proof soap donated by Mousse from his native China. The sun loomed over the beach and it made the sand unbearable to place a naked foot on. The long expected beach trip had finally come but it didn't stop the world from turning. Ryoga kept his distance from Ukyo and it kept the trip on a tense note.

Mousse and Ukyo had packed food that was for lunch that afternoon. They set a picnic in the beach near the ocean to see the waves crash against the shore. Towels lay scattered on the sand and a few beach umbrellas were pocked on the ground, Nabiki lay on her stomach to soak in the sun and Kuno sat next to her admiring her. Mousse and Ranma raced on the shore-line with boogie-boards and Akane and Ryoga sat on the sand spectating. Ryoga pretended to watch, he hugged his knees close to his chest. He didn't really feel like coming to the stupid beach. Sure he missed his friends but he kind of figured that he wasn't going to have a good time. At some point it cheered him up to be with his friends but...Ukyo. She had told Akane that she was going to go for a walk and wanted to be alone, he knew better. She just wanted to be as far away from him as possible. Ryoga pondered through the past week why Ukyo wasn't the least bit glad to see him in Nerima. He never did anything to hurt her and he never planned to hurt her. It dampened his spirits every time he thought back to that moment and it burned his chest to think that she had regretted him.

"Ryoga...please try to have fun." Ryoga turned to see Akane looking at him.

"Please." Her voice shook. She couln't help but feel bad that for a second she didn't want him to come. Looking back at it, things couldn't keep going how they were.

"I'm trying. I really am. Its kinda hard when she doesn't want to even be around me." His fingers curled under the sand.

"You should go talk to her." She stared at him long and hard, "Its the right thing to do. You know that this cant go on forever."

Ryoga knew this. It was just hard for him to pucker up the courage to do it.

"I know." He wiped his hands together. "What if she doesn't want to talk to me?"

Akane placed her hand over his head, "Ryoga, trust me! She does. She may not act like it but she does. I'm sure of it." She smiled weakly. Deep down he wanted to believe Akane but couldn't shake the bad feeling in his stomach. His heart seemed to beat faster, if he was nervous now he couldn't imagine how he would feel when he confronted Ukyo.

"Like I told Ukyo, I'll tell you: I don't know what happened in between you guys but know this...she probably feels the same. If you talk to her Ryoga, you BOTH wont feel like this. Go find her." she said, her voice stern and serious. Ryoga fiddled with his backpack that he always kept at his side.

__

I know I should go after her. I'm just scared.

"Ryoga?", she said patiently. He stood up and held his fist to his side. It was now or never! He wasn't going to screw it up again. He needed Ukyo and his life had been really lonely since the 'incident'. It kept him from his friends and Nerima. He cared for her deeply even after all these years. Her voice and face were tattooed into his memory and all the bad feelings that were once in his heart she made feel better with the taste of her skin. He never felt inadiquite when he was with her and one thing that he wanted to know is why she hated him so much.

"I'm going to find her." He turned in his heels and left running into the sea of people.

Just when he left he knocked over his backpack spilling all the contents into the sand. Akane quickly tried to gather up his belongings and noticed there was a bar of soap that looked awfully familiar. She examined it.

__

Its one of those water-proof soaps that Mousse brought. What is Ryoga doing with THIS?

Something didn't settle right with her. The soap was useless to Ryoga, why would he carry it around? She looked down at the rest of the things that lay scattered at her knees. A few bandannas, a water-bottle, his umbrella, his wallet, a few pictures, and a letter. She eyed it for a long time until she decided to open it.

Hey P-chan,

I know you hate it but you know I'm kidding. When are going to come back? Nerima seems kind of lonely since you've been away. I haven't found a half decent sparring partner since you. I also wanted to tell you some stuff about Akane. Something weird happened. Anyways, Mousse and Kuno wanted to go to the beach this month so you should come so you can go with us. Dont worry, Mousse brought a lifetime supply of water-proof soap from China so you don't have to worry about turning into P-chan in front of Akane. I hope everything is good with you. Hope to hear from you.

your friend,

Ranma

__

What? Ryoga and P-chan are...hold on. Ryoga is P-chan?!

Her face turned beet-red as she thought of all the times that she had changed in front of him. No wonder Ryoga was never around when P-chan was there. Or P-chan was lost when Ryoga was around. How could she be so stupid? She was boiling over when she remembered all the times that she would kick Ranma for picking on P-chan.

__

Ranma, that JERK! HE KNEW ABOUT IT AND LET HIM DO THAT!

Her face burned and she felt the jolt of anger hit her stomach. Ranma and Mousse surfed on the shore, she could see them get closer to her. She didn't tear her eyes off Ranma as she imagined ripping his head off. She stood up and stomped over to intercept them. Ranma stopped suddenly trying not to knock her down, his board went flying to some poor old couple's picnic.

"Geez Akane I almost knocked you over!"

"You knew Ryoga was P-Chan and you never told me." she said, with her voice trembling.

Ranma's heart dropped to his feet as he stared at her for a long while.

__

Shit...

He was dumbstruck. His mouth became very dry and he tried to swallow but struggled. Mousse stared at the couple brewing an eventful fight.

"Akane--" He began to speak but was interrupted by Akane's screams. "Ranma, you let him sleep in my own bed and watch me undress! How could you let him do that?"

"I tried to tell you but you were too dumb to realize it! And I gave him my word as a martial artist. It was my honor I needed to uphold. Why do you think P-Chan 'ran away' after the wedding? He stopped with all of that! It shouldn't matter anymore!" His fists shook and felt like it was going to turn to the worse.

"That's not the point Ranma! The point is that you let him do all of that and you could have at least tried to tell me without telling me!"

"You cant say I didn't try to beat him into a living pulp when he was P-Chan! You don't think I hated it? Watching him snuggle up next to you when you protected him? Its your fault for not listening to me! YOU NEVER DO!" Unhappy memories filled his head when he was incapable to look at Akane hold Ryoga against her chest. His ears burned with rage.

Akane stared at him for a long time feeling betrayed and embarrassed. Tears formed in her eyes, he held out a hand to her, "Akane. Please." She turned her back to him and ran bolted. Ranma stood there with his mouth hanging. He always kept his honor, even with Ryoga. He couldn't break his promise, he wasn't that kind of guy.

__

Word or not you left her in the dark. You should've told her. She had every reason to be upset with you.

A little voice in his head yelled at him. He needed to find her even if it took all day.

* * *

His eyes followed the ripples in the sand from the waves that continuously washed up-shore. The ocean spray dampened his skin and his yellow swimming shorts. The salty smell tickled his nose and the smell freshened his lungs, it was a beautiful day to be at the beach. Ryoga began to feel his feet ache from his frantic search for Ukyo. He began to think that he was wasting his time but it didn't stop him from looking for her. He couldn't give up now even if he wanted to, he needed to see her just this once.

He walked for what seemed forever, his scalp began to burn. He followed the shore all the way down east where a cliff closed the beach off. Black rocks poked through the surface of the water at the end of the shore, his eyes were strained. In the white sand sat Ukyo staring out into the sea. Ryoga gulped as if it was going to give him strength to walk to her. Nonetheless, he found his way behind Ukyo without her noticing. He watched her skip shells and pebbles into the water, she was deep in thought. He admired her curves that for one day he was able to touch. He closed his eyes and replayed the moment when he first kissed her. Her skin tasted like a ripe peach and even through the smell of the sake in her breath, he tasted her honey lips. He remembered the feel of the texture of her skin against his hands and how much it haunted him when he was alone at night. He needed her more than anyone and he couldn't let her go even after all these years.

"Please Ukyo." She jumped and looked behind her to see Ryoga sitting with a half dazed look in his face. "Please tell me why you hate me."

A guilty feeling came over her as she turned her back to him to look at the blue field of water in front of her. "Please. I need to know why you cant even look at me." Every inch of his voice was tainted with hurt.

She swallowed up the tears that were threatening to spill out. Ryoga smashed a rock under his powerful hand. "TELL ME!", his voice shook. His sight blurred as quiet tears rolled down his face.

"Ryoga." she whispered. He felt a short relief when he heard her voice say his name.

"Please. Answer me." He tried to keep it together but fell apart. And in his soul she poked a million holes and through them he spilled. Along all those years that they were apart he lost himself and knew that she took his heart.

"Tell me why you left the next day." his voice sounded desperate. "Please explain to me why I woke up alone." He didn't know whether to feel angry or sad that in that fateful day he woke up in that cold morning to see that she had left. He knew then that he couldn't go back to Nerima because he would be reminded every day of her. If it made her happy to not see him again, he couldn't deny her that unspoken request.

"You just needed to tell me that you were embarrassed of me, I would have left you alone. But you disappeared and never spoke to me again. That day I realized something Ukyo. That with all the pain that the stupid wedding made me go through...you were the one that made it all go away. Even if it was for that one night. I've never thought of anything else since then. You are everything my mind is thinking Ukyo!" He shook letting the tears travel down his flushed cheek. "Please...I need you to look at me!"

She stood up and turned to him, her arms crossed her stomach. She looked straight at him and blinked. A stream of hot tears rolled down her face and she breathed in sharply.

"Ryoga--", she finally spoke. "I was pregnant."

He froze. His mind went into shock. It took him a few seconds for the words to register in his brain. How was she pregnant? Where is his baby? Why didn't she tell him?

She walked slowly to him and knelt down in front of him. She pulled down the edge of her bikini underwear to show him a long thin scar a good deal under her belly button. He traced it with his fingertips, he felt an unusual despair.

"Ryoga, I--", she stared at him with fresh tears forming in her eyes, "I lost the baby."

She dug her face in her hands and sobbed quietly. Ryoga stared at her for a long time. He was emotionless. He couldn't take it anymore, it was too overwhelming.

"I was scared. I couldn't tell anyone. I got really sick one day and..." Her eyes looked down at her hands in shock as if to remember when it happened. "The baby died in me. I left because I was scared of feeling something for you. I didn't want to get hurt again but...it was a mistake. I should have held on to you and never let go. And when I found out I was pregnant I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to tie you down. I told myself I wouldn't miss you but there was never a day you didn't cross my mind. Ryoga, I'm sorry. I should have done better than this."

"Ukyo--" He finally spoke. "Would it be so wrong for me to tell you..." His voiced trailed off. She looked up at him and he stared at her. His calloused hands founds hers. His mind seemed to dull at the feel of her soft skin. "I love you and no matter what would have happened I would be there until the end. I wasn't living since I had you in my life. Please, be my world Ukyo." All the words seemed to roll off his tongue with ease. She pressed her lips against his catching him by surprise. He didn't need her to say it because he already knew that she loved him back. The eternal lost boy would never lose his way anymore.

* * *

A pair of magenta-brown eyes followed Akane as she walked down a deserted street. The town had been emptied that afternoon, everyone was at the beach having fun expect her. She looked down at her sandals as she walked and her mind was occupied. Her ears perked when she felt the presence of someone behind her. She turned and no one was there. A bad feeling came over her that made her palms sweat. Her back burned as those pair of eyes got closer, reaching an arm out fingertips grazing the tips of her short-blue hair. She walked faster and heard her heart throbbing in her ears. One second she was looking toward the hotel and the next second it all went blank.

* * *

In two days I'll post the next chapter. PLEASE review my story so far...


	6. The Key to the Golden Cage

**Okay well here is the long-expected 6th chapter of my story. All I have to say is that this is the action climax of the story and the story starts to unravel about Mousse and everything to do with him. Also we find out who took Akane and its up to team Ranma to get her back before something really dire happens. For all you Ukyo and Ryoga fans, we see some of the new-found couple but the rest of their tale is going to continue in the 7th chapter. Alright everyone quiet down...in 5....4...3....2....1....ACTION!**

* * *

The sound of the ocean roared as it crashed against the shore-line and the ocean-spray was cold and uninviting. The black rocks shined under the moonlight, they looked like tombstones in a field of blue hills. Ranma and Mousse ran from corner to corner of the small village of the beach searching for caramel-eyes. Akane had been missing for more than 7 hours and they were all worried.

"It's so unlike Akane to be missing for this long." Mousse huffed and puffed as Ranma and him ran together.

Ranma didn't say anything. He felt responsible for Akane's disappearance and couldn't shake a bad feeling forming in his chest. What if something bad happened to her? He would never forgive himself if she was hurt. Not again. He didn't want to feel that anguish again that Akane was lost to him forever. At least he had the comfort to hold her close to him but this time...he hadn't the slightest idea where she was.

The town's streets lay dark and lonely, only their footsteps echoed from building to building. Mousse squinted his eyes to see 2 figures slowly walking towards them, he put his hand to Ranma to stop him. They both narrowed their eyes ready for anything.

"What's up guys." Ryoga and Ukyo came into view, Ranma and Mousse relaxed. Ignoring the fact that they witnessed their once cant-stand-the-sight-of-each-other friends holding hands, they took a minute to catch their breaths. Ukyo stared at them in worry.

"What's wrong?" She didn't like the look of Ranma's expression. He looked up at them, desperation and pain fought to conquer his face.

Ryoga grabbed Ranma's shirt and shook him. "Ranma, what's going on." He just stared at him without a word as if to try to tell him with his stare alone.

"Akane is missing." Mousse finally spoke.

Ukyo's eyes widened, Ryoga let go of Ranma and put a hand to his forehead and Ranma stared at the floor.

"She's been missing since you left to go find Ukyo. Everyone has been searching all day with no luck. We ran out of places to look." Mousse's voice shook with desperation and worry.

Ryoga looked at Ranma and imagined the despair he must feel. "We'll find her Ranma. Let's just regroup in the hotel and think of a new plan."

They all quickly headed to their condo finding that Kuno and Nabiki sat in impatience. They stood up as soon as their worried friends opened the door and filled the room.

"We have some news---" Nabiki said, crossing her arms. Ranma heart seemed to stop, praying for some good news.

A small old woman stepped into the room, her long silvery hair twirled as she hopped towards the group in a long wooden stick. Her eyes weren't the same as Ranma had remembered, the wrinkles in her forehead seemed to have deepened with worry.

"Hello boy." Cologne spoke, they all stared in confusion.

"The old crone came to bring us some news of Akane." Kuno crossed his arms and sat on his knees.

They all sat in a circle and stared at the old woman. Ranma was motionless, he didn't want to waste any more time sitting here listening to this dried-up monkey ramble about things that didn't concern him. As minutes passed on Akane was in more danger, he didn't want to imagine what fate was bestowed on her.

Cologne cleared her throat, "Let me cut to the chase; after the long-expected wedding of my then-son-in-law. Shampoo decided to give up on her desperate attempts to win over his heart. She accepted her defeat by the girl and soon began to set her sights on someone else. This other person essentially kicked her to the curb and she went into a spiralling depression. She blamed her misfortune on the union of Ranma and Akane Tendo and vowed to spit at the very thought of them. Just as we moved to China she purchased a necklace of a key that she always kept around her neck. In the course of a few years I saw a big change in Shampoo. Her demeanour became nasty and she would go days lost in the forest."

"I researched on this necklace and found that an evil ancient demon possesed any who wear the necklace." Cologne stood quiet and stared out the window. 3 years have really aged her more than 100 years and her eyes strained to remember painful memories. She fingered the pages of a small red book in her hands. "I found Shampoo's dairy. She's got the girl."

Ranma suddenly stood up and found his way to Cologne. He grabbed her by the shirt, "She has Akane?! Where is she?" The old woman shoved him off.

"Boy, I wasn't finished! She took the girl not far from here on a clearing a few miles north-east. You need to save her boy because if that demon takes complete control of Shampoo, Akane will die by her hands."

They all quickly got to their feet and rushed out the door with Cologne trailing in the back of the line.

Ranma lead the way out of the lonely town into the forest heading north-east. Every step he took seemed to take an eternity, he prayed for strength.

_Please Akane hang on. I wont lose you again._

_

* * *

_

She counted the numbers of poles that lined the golden cage she was kept in. Stupid cage, stupid Ranma. She tried to shake the feeling of invulnerability that wasn't rare to her but she couldn't save herself. The bars glowed brighter every minutre that passed and when she would get near them a heat seemed to emanate more and more. She stared at the creature considered to be Shampoo in the middle of the clearing where they were. Her purple hair snaked around her head dancing around even though there was no wind. She hovered in mid-air with her legs crossed meditating, one hand on the necklace that hung around her neck. Akane couldn't shake the feeling that Shampoo wasn't the Shampoo she remembered, something about her made scared her. Sure she was a formitable Chinese Amazon but through all the hours that Shampoo had her captive she didn't speak a word. And she sure as hell didn't remember Shampoo meditating and being able to fly like she was right now.

_Please Ranma come save me._

Just when that thought flashed across her mind, Shampoo stood in front of the giant cage that kept Akane. Shampoo's face scared her, she looked wild. Her hair tossed in the air made a halo of snakes around her head. Her skin was very pale and her veins were clearly visible in her arms. Her eyes no longer friendly became deep pools of pain and anger. Dark circles lined her eyes and a smirk smacked her lips. She stared down at Akane.

"Akane's helplessness make Shampoo happy." She finally spoke. Her voice still coated with candy, it almost sounded eerie. Akane knew that this time she was sure that Shampoo meant harm. Her eyes watered, she blinked and tears came rolling down her face. Shampoo stuck her hand through the cage and wiped a tear off Akane's cheek. She smiled and licked her finger savoring the fear.

"Ranma will find stupid girl and when he come...Shampoo have surprise for him!" Her voice made Akane feel a sudden tiredness, her body was weakening. Shampoo stared at her coldly, 's doing something. If Ranma doesn't come...its going to be too late.

Shampoo turned her back to Akane and stared at the edge of the clearing. Her eyes concentrated towards the trees. Something or someone was coming.

Akane looked as a mass of people came through the trees, an inch of hope formed in her heart.

Ranma, Cologne, Mousse, Ryoga, Ukyo, Kuno, and Nabiki all looked towards Shampoo.

"Shampoo you're in deep crap! Hand over Akane or I'll fight you even if you're a girl!" He clenched his teeth tighter every second. Cologne hit him in the chest with her stick as he tried to get closer to Akane and Shampoo.

"Boy, you need to be careful. Shampoo isn't her usual self. Her combat has improved ten-fold. You cannot under-estimate her." she said in concern.

"Look, you sack of prunes...I came here for Akane whether Shampoo or Saffron captured her it doesn't matter! She is mine and no one is going to take her away from me again!" Ranma stepped closer to Shampoo and Akane.

Shampoo smiled sweetly.

"So Ranma finally show face. Does it hurt when you no have Akane?" Ranma felt his body burn hotter at every single word that came from her snickering mouth. Nobody laughed at him! Nobody took Akane from him because he needed her more than anyone.

"Shut up Shampoo!", he finally said. "If you are trying to get at me then you should have taken me. Leave Akane out of this!"

Shampoo laughed the most condiscending laugh, "I know this hurt Ranma more than anything."

Ranma curled his fingers into his palm forming fists. "What did we do to you? We never got married! You should be happy with yourself!"

Shampoo's face went serious, "You did everything. Shampoo do everything for stupid boy and he no care!" Her eyes flashed with flames.

"You thought I was yours and I never told you once that I wanted you! Stupid amazon law or not I wasn't going to be with you!" His steel-blue eyes watched the amazon relax. "Is that what you needed to hear from the beginning?"

"Shampoo could never go back to tribe. Amazon life is dead now because of stupid boy!" her voice became very shaky.

"Look at your friends dear girl! They all moved on and you should too. Dont hurt the girl, give her back to the boy!" Cologne stepped in front of Ranma and walked towards Shampoo.

Shampoo turned her eyes to her great-grandmother, her magenta eyes darkened. Cologne was knocked into a nearby tree that rendered her unconscience. Nabiki and Ukyo went to her aid. In her side lay a scroll and a small red book, Nabiki took the scroll and examined it. Her eyes widened and she stood up.

"Ranma! There's a cure! Shampoo can be cured!", she shouted at Ranma and looked back at the scroll to read, " 'To cure this person from a evil fate that will end their life, a kiss must be placed upon their lips from the person that they love and hurt the most.' "

Ranma froze and stared at Shampoo, horrified. Why does it always have to come down to a stupid kiss? But if it meant that he could have Akane again then he was going to do whatever he needed to. Ranma sprinted towards Shampoo with his fists out.

"Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken!"His fists turned into streaks of color. Shampoo didn't even move or flinch as his fists met her torso. His eyes widened as she didn't react and he began to think that maybe he was way in over his head.

Punch. Kick. Jump. Dodge. Punch. Punch. Dodge.

He repeated the process as Shampoo seemed to have lost her temper when he dodged her attacks.

Team Ranma stood at the side-lines watching the clash of the titans. Ukyo and Nabiki kept nursing the old woman. Ukyo stared at the little red book that lay at Cologne's side, she should be carrying it for a reason. She opened it and had a hard time reading the Chinese 's Shampoo's diary.

She read.'After the wedding I could never go back to China, at least not without Ranma. But I could never have him now, even if I tried. The more time I spent in the Cat Cafe working in the hot summer with Mousse, I began to grow a soft spot for him. I know I must be feeling like this because of what happened with Ranma but I never really noticed how much of a sweetheart he really is.'

'I cant go on any longer. After I had given up on Ranma my feelings for Mousse have grown. I finally had a day alone with him at the Cafe and I puckered up the courage to tell him that I really liked him and I wanted to apologize for bullying him all these years. Before I opened my mouth he told me that he was going to leave the Cafe. He said he was tired of me and didn't want to be around me. He told me he hated me. If only things were different and I wasn't blinded with that stupid fake engagement to that idiot! I would be happy right now. But I'm not.'

'We moved back to China. We're living in Hong Kong for a while. The city is too big. Too dirty. Too rude. I went to market today and I bought a necklace with a key. When I hold it, it makes me feel releaved.'

'I cant stop thinking of Mousse. I wonder where he's at. I hate this. I hate Hong Kong.'

'I feel mad. Stupid Ranma. I wasted my time following him. It's his fault that Mousse doesn't want me. Just my luck when I want to give Mousse a shot...he turns me down.'

'A voice is talking in my head telling me to find Ranma and make him pay. Maybe if I could make him suffer I'll feel better. If I hurt Akane, he'll hurt twice as much.'

'I long for him. Mousse. I'm so sorry how I have been. I should have been nicer. How can loving you hurt so much?

'Everyday I seem to get angry. I cant even think straight. Something is changing me.'

"Tomorrow I head to Nerima. One step closer to see my love's face. I hope he can fogive me for all the hurt I have put him through. This will prove to him that I can change."Ukyo's mouth went dry. The cure wasn't going to be a kiss from Ranma! It's suppose to be from Mousse! She looked at the battle that was at a stand still, it was the perfect time.

"Ran-chan! You're not suppose to kiss her! Its suppose to be Mousse! She loves him!" she shouted, holding the diary up to him. They all looked at Mousse, his face burned with the stares of his friends. He ran to Ukyo and snatched the diary from her hand and flipped through it. His heart was racing as he scanned through the last entries. He looked up at Shampoo, he couldn't help but feel bad for her for the 1st time in his life. She wanted to change for him and he didn't even let her speak her peace. But, there was a big part of him that waved a red-flag that maybe it wasn't the best idea to let her inside.

"Mousse! If you dont kiss her...she wont be Shampoo anymore! She can die!" Ryoga yelled at Mousse over the increasing whistle of the wind coming from the ocean. As much as Shampoo had hurt Mousse he couldn't let that fate be hers. No one deserved to die. This demon was fueling Shampoo to act this homocidal and if they didn't stop this entity then Akane can die as well.

Ranma took the chance to gather up his thoughts and come up with a plan to sedate her long enough for Mousse to kiss her. If he did this perfect, then Akane could be free. He jumped up lightly on his feet.

"Hey Shampoo. Mousse thinks you're ugly!" He stuck out his tongue at her. Her eyes widened with rage and she stomped towards Ranma. She swung her fist at him and he dodged. She proceeded to punch and kick him and he dodged every attack.

Ryoga understood what he was trying to do. He watched Ranma catch Shampoo into a spiral dance. It was all to familiar how many times he's lost to this technique.

"Hiryü Shöten Ha!"

The trees cracked and moaned. A blinding blue light covered the area where Shampoo and Ranma were. Then it all went silent.

The smoke cleared and they all ran towards the blast area to see Ranma standing over Shampoo, his Chinese-styled shirt ripped to shreds.

Mousse gulped as he saw Shampoo laying on the floor bleeding and bruised. Her eyes were open and white. She gulped for air and twitched save her. It'll be only for that.

Mousse got to his knees next to her and felt his heart in his throat.

"Mousse! Hurry up! Kiss her! The demon is taking over!" Nabiki pushed him forward.

He wrapped one arm under her back and the other under her legs and sat her in his lap. He's never been this close to her, it made his heart swell. Her hair was still shiny and soft like he remembered. Her skin looked like untouched snow. He still loved her but told himself he couldn't. He stretched his brain and remembered why he loved her. Under all the attitude Shampoo has been there for Mousse since a child. They were once friends and played every day together. She was funny and light-hearted and he knew that the girl he once knew was still somewhere in there. He tore his glasses from his face and pulled her towards him. As he pressed his lips to hers, he felt her body go limb. Shampoo had regained warmth to her body. He was shocked to feel her hands on his face and he opened his eyes to see that she was crying. He leaned back to look at her. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke, "Does Mousse really think that Shampoo ugly?". Her sweet voice rang a bell in his brain. He smiled softly at her and took her hands, "No Shampoo. You're the most beautiful girl I have seen in my life." She sighed and smiled, "I love you Mousse. Shampoo know that she may not be good enough for Mousse. I so sorry for everything I did to you. You didn't deserve it." Mousse silently wept at her arms. Shampoo laced her fingers in his jet-black hair and smelled him. If this is what love felt with Mousse then she didn't want no one else.

Shampoo tore the key from her neck and handed it to Ranma. "Forgive Shampoo. Key made Shampoo do it. Go find Akane, she been wanting to see Ranma."

Ranma snatched the key and ran to the giant gold cage that imprisoned Akane. To his horror Akane was laying unconscience inside. He quickly unlocked the door and pulled her out. He held her in his arms, panic edged on his Akane.

_I dont want to lose you again. Please Akane._

Tears began to form in his steel-blue eyes.

"Akane. I need you. Please dont be dead." He hugged her and rocked. He felt her chest steadly go up and down. She wasn't dead but she wasn't waking. He stared at her, wiping her bangs from her eyes. His mind was racing 100 miles-per-hour as the painful memories from Jusekyo reared their ugly head. How he felt when he thought she was dead. He remembered how she looked in her wedding gown that made his legs turn into noodles. He remembered their 1st 'official' kiss at the maze. He wanted to make more memories with her. He prayed that he could see her caramel-eyes stare back at him again. Then he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Please Akane, wake up! I need you to look at me. Tell me that you're going to be okay." His voice shook. He watched as his tears hit her cheek then he wiped them away.

"Ranma, she's in a coma. She needs to go to a hospital." Ryoga lay a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Ranma hugged her closer. He couldn't let her go! Not now. He needed her and she needed him.

"If you want her to wake up we need to go back to Nerima and see Dr. Tofu. She'll be fine, sugar. She just needs a doctor's care." Ukyo held Ryoga's hand, praying that what she said would be true.

* * *

Hey guys, the story still keeps going for like 3 more chapters. I'll be posting them in a few days. Please send me reviews. Tell me what ya'll think! Thanks!


	7. Sleepless in Nerima

The abyss was at a stand-still and no wind moved his hair. His skin felt heavy and his face seemed to want to hit the floor. He walked silently going nowhere, his ears hummed and if he didn't hear at least a pin drop he would surely lose his mind. Far away Ranma saw something in the blackened floor. It was a body. As he stepped closer he felt his heart thumping in his ears when he saw short-blue hair. His legs felt like bars of lead as he tried to sprint towards Akane. The more he ran to her the more she seemed to go further away. He stretched an arm out trying to reach. He opened his mouth but no sound came out. He mouthed, "Akane". His heart-beat quickened.

Then he woke up with a jump. Blood rushed through his body with adrenaline. He was only dreaming. He looked around to the familiar small room that was Dr. Tofu's clinic. He sat in a chair next to a bed and looked beside him and saw Akane, her face in peace in her undisturbed sleep. He sighed in relief when he heard the heart-beat monitor beep in a constant rhythm, at least he knew she was alive. The fresh wind coming from the window behind him hit his neck and it made goosebumps on his arms. Every night since the incident at the beach with Shampoo he had been having the same horrible nightmare of Akane. It haunted him daily and he tried to not sleep as to try to keep his dreams at bay. If he stood awake he could always be sure that she was safe.

6 days since Akane's eyes last were open. 6 days since he last saw that fire in her eyes.

They traveled back to Nerima the same hour that Akane went into a coma. Dr. Tofu had been working on a cure to wake her and Ranma had not left her side since. As he slumped back into the chair Ranma thought back to how it all came to be. Him and Akane were fighting and that was the reason she disappeared. He couldn't help but feel it was his fault. Everyday he tried to fight back the tears that formed in his eyes when that certain feeling came back. Jusenkyo. Her lifeless body in his arms...

__

No. She's not gone. She's still alive. You don't have to worry anymore.

He rubbed his hands in his face and tried to make himself feel better but it only made him feel pathetic. He stood up and yawned. The light from the night lit the top of Akane's hair but her pale face could still be seen. He stretched his arms out and looked at the digital clock. 8:00pm. He had only slept for 20 minutes. He poured himself tea. His toes and fingertips felt bone-chilling cold. He slumped on the chair and sipped at his hot tea letting the warm take over his bloodstream. He stared at Akane and smiled. He was happy that she at least was near him. He put his hand over hers. He watched as a small smile crept to her then-motionless lips. She could feel him there, coma or not she was smiling at him. His heart flopped over and he felt happy for once. Then he felt his knee go warm and he looked down. Indeed in his pants a small circle of water took form, he watched as tears splashed on his pants. A jet of warm tears came down his cheeks wildly.

"Akane I need you. I want to look at those eyes again. I cant live without their warmth." His body shook violently.

"Please Mama--" He looked at her face smiling in her never-ending sleep. "Wake up for me."

* * *

"Hun! Let's go! What's taking you so long?" Ukyo yelled from the foot of the stairs of Ucchan's.

"Babe---" Ryoga's voice came from Ukyo's small apartment from above, "I cant find the stairs."

She smiled warmly and remembered his lack of direction. She quickly found him inside her broom closet and grabbed him from the arm then yanked him out of Ucchan's.

"You said Ranma is still there?" Ryoga asked casualy lacing his fingers with hers, "He's been there since we 1st arrived."

As he said that, Ukyo knew that Ranma felt responsible for Akane's well-being. She kicked a can that was at her feet.

"We need to try to make him feel better." She squeezed his hand.

"I know.", they stopped at the sign of the clinic. "Poor guy. He really does care for her."

They entered the small room where Akane was being kept. The heart-monitor's beeps became part of the background now. Ranma was wiping her body down with a warm moist sponge as Ukyo and Ryoga stepped closer. He looked up to his friends and gave a weak smile, his eyes sinked from sleepless nights. Dark circles began to form under his eyes and his skin seemed to have lost its color, it made Ukyo frown.

"Hey." Ranma managed to croak.

Uyko sat on Akane's bed. Her fingers brushed her short-sapphire hair then she placed a kiss on her head. How was it always Akane? She couldn't imagine how overwhelming it would be to be with Ranma. There was always someone screwing with her and she never deserved it. Her heart sank to her knees for her friend.

"How is she, Sugar?" she asked. Ranma crossed his arms and frowned.

Ryoga lay a hand on his friend's shoulder in reassurance. Quiet tears came rolling down Ranma's cheek.

"She smiled at me yesterday night." He said half heart-broken and half elated, trying to control his voice but failing.

Ukyo smiled and looked back at Akane. "I think she knows that you're here."

He couldn't help but feel a tiny bit better that his friends were there to support them. They talked and comforted Ranma until the sun threatened to go down. He watched as Ukyo painted Akane's toe-nails red and Ryoga changed her bed-sheets.

"She'll wake up." Ryoga finally said, "I know she will Ranma. Please don't beat yourself up for this. These sort of things happen all the time to all of us. You know what crazy lives we all live. We've been through worse. At least you have her here with you and you know she's alive and safe."

Ranma placed his hand on Akane's toes. He counted them and admired the softness of her skin.

"I know--" He managed to say, "It's just hard not being able to see her open her eyes."

They all stood quiet. The silence was broken as Akane gave a small moan. They all stared back and only saw her undisturbed face.

* * *

Ranma brushed her cobalt hair with a small comb, every stroke made a fresh smell of jasmine fill his nose. Just as he remembered when she would come out of the shower or when he would be near her. He almost felt like he was addicted to those memories. Like if remembering all that Akane did made him stay alive. He stroked her cheek admiring her snowy skin. He prayed that she could wake. He placed a soft kiss on her cheek and continued brushing her hair.

Suddenly he heard the door click open, he turned to see that Kasumi entered the room. She smiled at him.

"Hi Kasumi." He was genuinely happy to see her. He could never be in a sour mood when her smiling face graced a room. She walked to the other side of Akane's bed and placed her hand on her sister's arm.

"Thank you for taking care of her Ranma." She looked up at him. Her sweet voice made him proud.

"Its my duty." Ranma looked at Kasumi. She stared at him for a second examining his pale skin and the bags begining to form under his eyes.

"Ranma you should really go home and shower." She said sternly before he could complain, "I can take care of her for a while. You need to rest. You look terrible."

He stooped his shoulders admitting defeat and left.

Kasumi sat by her sister stroking her hand.

"My dear Akane. You'll be okay." Kasumi blinked away the tears forming in her eyes.

She stood in silence for a long time and leaned on her hand over her eyes in a quiet prayer. Then...

"Ka--Kasumi?" A small voice graced her ear. She snapped up and saw Akane half dazed looking at her. She quickly stood up and hugged her sister tightly. Akane's frail arms wrapped around her.

"Akane!" Kasumi managed to say through the agony that latched on to her throat. Tears rolled down her face furiously. Akane felt strange seeing her older sister cry for the 1st time.

"I thought I would never see you awake." she finally said, letting go of Akane and sitting upright on her bed.

Akane looked around to see that she was in Dr. Tofu's clinic and sighed. Slowly getting her strength back she managed to say, "Where is--?"

"Ranma?" Kasumi interrupted. Akane blushed.

"Poor dear. He's been at your side since you went into a coma. He's been taking care of you for a week straight. I sent him home so he could have a shower and some rest." She looked at her sister. Akane missed him. Its as if she was asleep and all she would see was Ranma's worried face. All she wanted to say as she watch him weep was that she was okay but she couldn't move or speak.

__

I guess it wasn't a dream. He was here the whole time.

Her insides went warm. She couldn't imagine what he felt when he saw her half-dead and more than anything she wanted to see him. Dreams didn't compare to the real thing.

"Excuse me." A small candied voice spoke. Kasumi and Akane looked up to see that Shampoo was at the door with a bouquet of flowers in her hands. She smiled weakly.

Akane felt awkward just looking at her in eyes. Noticing the tension, Kasumi stood up and smiled at both of them.

"Well ladies, I have to go. I need to go to the grocery store. I'll let you two--" She walked towards the door, "--catch up." Then she closed the door softly.

Shampoo didn't move and looked down at her red shoes. She couldn't say the words that were in her head. After all, she was sure that Akane hated her and there was no excuse for her behavior. Of all the 'fiances', she knew that she gave her the most trouble. "Shampoo need to talk to Akane." She walked to the chair next to the bed, her palms became sweaty. She fiddled with the flower's stems, not looking at Akane.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. Stupid key make do crazy things. I know I never do anything nice for Akane in her life and I'm sorry for everything I ever do to you. Shampoo no want Ranma. I loves Mousse now." Her sweet voice shook, struggling to speak Japanese. "Shampoo brought flowers to you. I hope you can forgive me. I only want to be friends now. Start new." She handed the flowers to Akane awkwardly. Akane took them and smelled them. She smiled weakly. It was a new side to Shampoo that she never saw.

"Shampoo, dont feel bad. I understand." Akane placed her pale hand on Shampoo's.

"Hyyyyyaaaa!" She jumped up and squeezed Akane into a hug. "Shampoo so happy!"

__

So this is what Ranma felt when she would hug him.

She felt her face go purple.

"Hey, Sugar! If you don't let her go you'll probably kill her this time." Ukyo stood at the door smiling, a small box in her hands.

"Hyyyya! Shampoo so sorry." Shampoo jumped to her and hugged her.

Akane laughed as she imagined that she must have looked like Ukyo when Shampoo hugged her. Her friends looked at Akane and smiled. They couldn't help but sigh in relief as her laugh lightened their mood.

For the next hour Akane ate an Okonomiyaki that Ukyo had brought for her that read, 'Get well soon!'. Shampoo brought a stack of playing cards and they quickly tore the sheets off the bed and played old maid. They talked about Ukyo and Ryoga. Shampoo and Akane congratulated her for her new-found love. Shampoo and Akane spoke of college and agreed to go to the same school. Laughs and sighs filled the small clinic as the 3 friends worked to nurse Akane back to health.

* * *

"Akane, have you seen Ranma." said Ukyo, clearly hearing the pouring of tea.

****

Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump.

"No not yet." Her sweet voice burned his ear-drums. He pressed his back to the door, not exactly having the guts to burst through it and see Akane. His knees theatened to give up.

"He's the one that's been taking care of you the most."

Ranma felt he couldn't swallow.

"I know."

He turned beet-red.

"Ranma really care for you."

His fingers curled on the wall.

"I know."

Her voice couldn't compare to any other's.

"You dont know how much it hurt him to see you like that. He cried a lot."

He clapped a hand to his forehead.

"Really?", she sounded surprised.

"After he done sleeping, Shampoo is sure that he come to see you."

Ranma ran out of the clinic into the rooftops of Nerima. He couldn't be there anymore. He wondered what else they talked about. He was happy she was awake but he felt an unknown embarrisement. He didn't understand.

__

Come on Saotome. You can face her. This is what you wanted.

He slapped the back of his head and sighed.


	8. I Need to Know

**Alrighty then here is the chapter about Ukyo and Ryoga. Its short and sweet. Hope you Ryoga and Ukyo fans like it. There's plenty of love to go around. But stay tuned for 2 more chapters to complete the story.**

* * *

The sizzle from the grill could be heard from above the stairs, the smell of the perfectly cooked okonomiyaki woke Ryoga. He opened his eyes and stared up at the wooden ceiling. The light hadn't crept through the window shades and the floor was still cool. His futon smelled weather-worn. He looked at the digital clock, his eyes were still sticky. 5:15 am. He rubbed his eyes and looked around in the small study. He stayed the night at Ucchan's hoping to visit Akane and his family. He rolled up his futon neatly and changed. He found that Ukyo was already up and cooking breakfast for the both of them.

"Hey Hun. Good morning." Ukyo smiled at him, she coughed on the hem of her shirt. Ryoga sat in the bar and yawned.

"Do you usually get up this early?" He slumped on his chair.

She flipped the Japanese pizza. "Everyday." Her hands were hard at work. "Okonomiyaki with egg."

She handed a plate to him. "Thanks Babe."

She coughed to clear her throat. Ryoga frowned, "Are you okay?" She smiled at him, her nose was flushed, "Yeah."

They ate silently. He kicked back his chair and rubbed his full stomach in content.

Ukyo smiled at him, "So what's the plan today?" She gathered the plates and threw them in the dish-washer. Giddy and hopping she sat on Ryoga's lap and played with his hair.

Not quite use to the closeness of her, he stammered as he spoke. "Well, I was wondering if you could take me home."

Ukyo giggled. He was hopeless as a fish in a puddle. She was sure that he hadn't seen his parents in years.

"No problem, Sugar." Her fingers twirled the patch of hair hanging over his forehead. He flashed his pointy-teeth into a smile and kissed her nose.

* * *

Ryoga felt a slight tug from his arm as Ukyo looked down at a piece of paper with an address written on it, leading him. She looked up at the name of streets as they passed them by. He couldn't help but feel a bit excited that he was going to finally see his parents for the 1st time in 3 years. But he also felt a tad nervous that Ukyo would meet them as well.

"Alright. Here it is." They came into a screeching halt and they looked up a the quaint home. A bright yellow board hung on the gate that read 'Hibiki'.

"Well. Let's see if anyone is home." He stuck his hand in his pocket and took out a single key. The couple walked together to the large wooden door.

"My baby!" 2 pair of arms flung at the pointy-toothed boy.

"Mom. Dad! Come on!" Ryoga pulled his weeping parents off him.

Ukyo giggled and it made his face go several shades of red.

"My baby finally made it home. I haven't seen you in years. How could I tear my arms off my only son." Ryoga's mom was short. Her sapphire eyes glow bright at the sight of her lost son. Her jet-black hair was tied in a bun. Her lips were scarlet and found any chance to kiss Ryoga's cheeks.

"Come on son. Be nice to your old Dad." He clapped a strong hand on his son's back, it knocked the wind out of Ryoga and almost knocked him off his feet. Ukyo made a mental note that Ryoga probably got his brute strength from his father.

He looked at her still standing silently at the doorway.

"Mom. Dad. This is--" He scratched his head not knowing how to introduce her, "Ukyo Kounji."

The Hibiki's stared at her and she blushed.

"Hello dear. You must be a friend of Ryoga's. Welcome Welcome! Kick off your shoes and come in!" Mrs. Hibiki smiled leading her into the living room. They all sat quietly, the Hibiki's shook in excitement. Ukyo couldn't help but giggle when she would see Ryoga act like a little boy around his mother. After all he was an only child and she was sure they babied him a lot. She had never seen him this happy and he must have lived a very lonely life since his whole family was cursed with a lousy sense of direction. Ryoga told his parents of his many adventures that normally ended with him coming back to a lonely house.

Mrs. Hibiki served lunch for them and they all ate comfortably, to their surprise they took a liking to Ukyo. Soon after they were done, their neighbor volunteered to take the old couple to the market They bade their goodbyes and were out the door leaving the couple alone.

Ukyo and Ryoga were left sitting at the diner table. They stood silent for a long time. Ryoga couldn't stop blushing. She sure must have thought his family to be annoying.

She coughed. Her throat felt painfully dry and felt like her head was spinning.

"You should really take some medicine." Ryoga finally spoke, seeing her cheeks flush.

"No. I'm fine." Ukyo growled back, fighting through her cough.

He was at her side now, he put his hand on her forehead. His palm burned at the touch of her skin.

"You're burning up."He wrapped his arms under her and picked her up. She dug her face into his neck too weak to fight back. He walked up stairs into his room. It was fresh and all sorts of trinkets from his journeys hung from the walls and stood on the shelves. He laid her on his bed and she groaned.

"Please dont complain. You'll get better if you let yourself." He stroked her hand speaking to her softly.

"Okay." She whispered, giving up.

Ryoga brought a bag full of ice and placed it on her head. He took 2 dark green pills from an old pouch from one of his drawers and gave her water.

"Please try to go to sleep. You'll feel better in the morning. Its an old recipe from Ranma's family. It really works." He kissed her steaming nose and she closed her eyes.

* * *

The room was dark, moonlight found its way inside through the cracks of the window. The manual clock ticked away whispering a lullaby. Ukyo stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes lazily. She could see Ryoga laying next to her asleep. She shifted in the sheets and stared at his slumber. He was snoring, she smiled as she recognized that babies snored like that too. As tough as Ryoga was there was certain moments when he seemed so vulnerable and the real him came through. She stroked his cheek. Nothing could compare to the feeling she felt when he was with her. After all the pain she went through for the past years, now it almost seemed like it was long time ago. She couldn't imagine how she had broken his heart and continued loving her.

Love.

That's what he told her. He loved her. He said he would never go away for fear of what he went through when she went away. That day at the beach flashed across her mind. The sound of his voice tore her heart in half. When she saw him cry it sure made her want to die. Shame came over her. How could she be so stupid for letting go of something so great? But that was then and this is now. She wasn't a child no longer and understood everything now and Ryoga helped her. She prayed that the love she felt for him would never fail and it wasn't just some petty feeling that was there for the moment. She kissed his cheek and he opened his eyes. He yawned and stretched his arms out. Then he smiled his queasy smile. She laced her fingers through his hair, he smelled like ocean spray for some reason. Then he wrapped his arms around her not speaking a word and pulled her over him. She lay her ear to his chest and calmed as she heard his heart thumping. If there was one memory she wouldn't want to lose it was now. His fingertips traced a line from her cheek down to her shoulder and she shivered. His body heat was inviting. His calloused hands found hers through the dark. Then he crushed his lips against hers. Her soft lips were toxic and it only made him want more. She put her arms around his neck letting their kiss drown them. His tongue exploring the velvet feel of hers wanting to go deeper and suck the sweet juices from her mouth. They noted as there was no smell of sake this time. Moaning through their lips, the passion climbed. Ryoga felt that certain things of his were 'rising' to the occasion wanting to tear through his pants. She jumped as it prodded in between her legs vigorously. His insides wanted to burn through his stomach and his head was spinning in the aura of her. She tore at his shirt and traced her hands all over his broad chest, as familiar hands explored old territory. Panting, he found himself curling his fingers under the tape around her breasts as before. A moan escaped her lips as her chest was moving against his sweat-covered skin and a strange feeling took hold of her in-between her legs. She was burning up and felt her skin tingle with excitement. He felt the warmness in between them and panicked. Then he pulled back gasping for air.

"Ukyo--" He said breathlessly, "Maybe we should wait a while for that kind of stuff."

She sat beside him and frowned. She wrapped the sheetss around her naked torso and pouted. He got to his knees in front of her and grabbed her hands.

"I want you really bad and you know that Ukyo! You're the sexiest thing in two legs. (Sigh) I don't want to ruin anything, that's all. We should put that off until we're married." He kissed her hands. Then he had a thought, he stood up and searched through a drawer on his dresser. He had something in his hand but it was too dark to see. He got to his knees again and took her hands. He looked at her through the dim light.

"I love you and you know that. I know its so sudden but I know its real." He placed a small box in front of her and opened it. It was empty. "I know I have no money to buy you the ring you deserve but this is a promise Ukyo, a promise that I'll always be here no matter what. Through the good and the bad. I promise that all that I have said and done is true. If you accept this you accept me for who and what I am. (gulp) P-chan and Ryoga. Ukyo, I need to know...will you marry me one day?" His hands were sweating and his voice was shaking. He closed his eyes waiting for an answer.

She clapped her hands to her mouth and looked down at him. She gently placed a kiss on his forehead and hugged him. His eyes snapped back open. Her lips brushed his ear and she whispered.

"I wouldn't want anyone else."

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed my partial-lemonade (wink wink) Ryoga and Ukyo fans...after this story I'll be making another story devoted to U/R pairing. So watch out for that one. Lol I got some good stuff in my head.**


	9. Worries in Steam

** This chapter is going to be devoted to the story in-between Shampoo and Mousse. I know that in chapter 6 I only mentioned a portion about their union. I do like Mousse's character a lot. He's a dweeb but he is always a sweetheart and he has a good head on his shoulders. I'm actually quite proud of this chapter. AAAAAND it in the 1st scene Shampoo is getting ready to go see Akane in chapter 7. Well, let's do this or what? **

* * *

Mousse handed a bouquet of flowers to a very nervous Shampoo.

"You'll be ok." He wrapped his arms around the short Amazon into a crushing embrace. "Xìn rèn wǒ(Trust me). She doesn't hate you. She'll understand. Just talk to her. Dr. Tofu called and said that Kasumi was there, so you wont be alone."

Her purple hair shined with the sunlight coming in from the large window in the Cat Cafe. Mousse looked at Shampoo as she pouted silently. His dazzling emerald eyes met her raspberry eyes.

"Shampoo scared." She finally said, her voice was shaking. She fiddled with the moist stems of the bouquet imagining all the things that could go wrong when she would see Akane awake since their encounter at the beach.

"Please. Don't be." He frowned at her and led her to the door. "I'll be here getting the Cafe ready to open again." He kissed the top of her head, getting a sweet smell of cherry-blossom grace his nose. She smiled weakly and took a deep breath.

"Zài jiàn (Goodbye)."

Mousse closed the door as he watched Shampoo march to Dr. Tofu's office, he couldn't help but smile. Everything went so fast; one day he was at the beach with some friends then the next he was holding Shampoo's possessed body in his arms ready to kiss her. It all blurred in his mind; the sight of her so weak and hurt. It was hard to imagine that she came to be that way because of him and he had no idea. She went through all that trouble for him! He undoubtedly loved her since he could walk and not an inch of his heart wavered. No matter the pain she inflicted onto his body, it never crushed his spirit. But it didn't matter now, he shook his head. All he knew right now is that Shampoo changed. She wasn't that cold and rejecting Amazon he knew from before. She loved him and he did to her.

He looked around at the once-busy Cat Cafe. A layer of dust over the still chairs and tables was undisturbed for 3 years. He sighed as he thought of all the cleaning he had to do to restore the restaurant that Cologne had handed down to them. He un-did the frogs of his shirt and took it off throwing it into the foot of the stairs of the apartment that stood above.

For the next 3 hours he proceeded to clean and wash everything of the restaurant. It almost looked like it was never deserted for years.

He looked up at the ticking clock from the kitchen. 6:00pm. He had been washing pots and pans for the past half hour, he looked at his wrinkled hands and grunted. He began to notice his complaining stomach yelling at him. He wiped his hands on a rag and began to take out ingredients to make ramen. Then he heard the door open and saw Shampoo skipping towards the kitchen, smiling.

"Ni Hao!" She hugged him tightly. He let his chin rest on her head and returned her embrace.

"I'm guessing it went well." He chuckled, genuinely happy for her. Shampoo told him about how she apologized to Akane and that she took it quite well. She also told him that Ukyo showed up and they all played cards together and talked.

"Shampoo make friends now." She clapped her hands together and smiled.

"You'll be surprised how nice its been when everyone is not fighting anymore." he said.

"Shampoo hungry. Mousse want help Shampoo with diner?" She struggled to speak the non-native language.

"Of course." He looked at the ingredients that lay on the counter.

She clicked the stove and placed a wok over the flame then he took a jug of water and poured it into the wok. As it bubbled, Shampoo dropped the ramen inside with some spices and vegetables. Soon, the air was filled with the delicious scent of the food. Mousse drained the water and picked a noodle and dropped it in his mouth. He looked at Shampoo in an approving smile. "Mmmmmm." He picked another noodle and held it over the Amazon. She giggled and opened her tiny mouth. He dropped the noodle and it fell over her nose and eyes. They laughed in unison, wiping her face with her hand. Shampoo grabbed a handful of noodles and threw them at Mousse's head and ran to the other side of the kitchen panting. He smirked and threw his hand into the strainer grabbing a handful of noodles.

"Oh its sooo on!" He spoke in his native Chinese language.

He threw the ball of ramen to the Amazon's head and she dodged. She stuck out her tongue at him but her face quickly met another explosion of slimy ramen. He thought his ribs almost cracked as he laughed uncontrollably. His laugh was hushed by a mouthful of ramen that was rammed into his pie-hole. He looked up to see Shampoo running again behind the counter with ramen clutched in one hand. He chased after her darting around the noodle battle-field for a kitchen. When he was lucky enough to catch her he wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her from squirming. She shoved noodles into his mouth and kissed him.

"Does Mousse like Shampoo's cooking?" She said, sarcasm tainted her laugh.

"Mmm-hmmm." He mustered up to say through his food-filled mouth.

They felt their skin start to dry and the salt began to make them itchy.

"We need to take a bath." Mousse said, scratching his cheek.

Shampoo picked noodles off his shirt and ate.

"Yes." She smiled at him sweetly.

Their backs hurt as they looked back at the now-clean kitchen and headed to the familiar apartment. Mousse sat on Shampoo's bed, clutching a pillow against his shirtless torso. He couldn't help but feel nervous and embarrassed when he was in her room. Everything seemed so perfectly placed and cleaned, if Shampoo was something it would be immaculate. That wasn't the only thing that got him nervous, it was the fact that he's never been very intimate with Shampoo. Not in THAT way but in the way that he's never been comfortable enough to just walk into her room without getting bashed in the head. That was then. But now, he was sitting in the bed inside her room looking at her search through her drawers. She turned to him clutching a neat stack of clothes in her hands. She sat next to him and took the pillow from hands. He blushed as she placed her soft palms over his perfectly-formed chest. He jumped as her fingertips traced the crevices separating his muscles. Her eyes admirably looking at his olive skin. Then she wrapped her tiny arms around him and closed her eyes, smiling. He put his arm around her shoulders and joined her silent bliss.

"Mousse." She finally spoke, her voice tasted of sugar. "Shampoo go to school with Akane. Need to make something of myself to keep Cafe running."

Mousse stayed quiet. He knew that it was too good to be true. When he finally had her in his life, she was about to leave.

"Mousse?" She took his face in his hands. He couldn't meet her eyes and frowned.

"I don't want you to leave." His emerald eyes felt like they were about to drown, he sucked it up.

"Shampoo need to think of future." She frowned with him.

He hoped that she wasn't having second thoughts of him. Why was she going away? He didn't understand. He couldn't understand. After not seeing those candy-apple eyes for 3 years, he couldn't part from them again. He was sure that he would lose his mind.

She broke their embrace and stood up. She faced him, looking down at him and he looked at her. Without speaking a word she took his hands and lead him into the bathroom, he did not protest.

* * *

There was a hot fog that loomed in the air, the mirrors were covered in vapor and the tile-walls were sweating. Mousse had his hands on Shampoo's hips. Her hands cuddled in-between them against his chest. She looked down at them, trying to find the words to console him. The sound of the water hitting the tile-floor drowned her increasing heart-beat. His fingers untied the frogs of her pink dress and it fell at her feet. The skin over her breasts flushed and she couldn't help but shake as she exhaled. She fingered the hem of his pants and untied them, she blushed. He looked at her eyes as she caressed his sweat-covered skin and was pleasantly surprised as she admired his body. Her bra loosened as his fingers skillfully snapped it open and it fell to their feet. Before she could react he curled his fingers on either side of her delicate underwear. She gasped and looked straight at his green eyes that twinkled and consoled her. Slowly he pulled them down. He placed his hands on the smooth skin of her derriere, admiring her voluptuous body. She took his hands and led him behind the curtains into the steamy stream of water. The warm water hit his back and the pain he felt in his back seemed to melt away. Shampoo curled up in his arms putting her head against his rock-hard chest. The water trickled down through her purple locks of hair. He sighed and tightened his hold around her.

__

Please Shampoo. I cant be away from you any longer. I need you here with me.

The sweat that his skin made mixed with his tears. He prayed that everything could be to his liking but knew that even if he wanted it, it could never go that way. His stomach felt like sinking deep into the floor. He frowned and his body stiffened. He took Shampoo's face in his hands and looked deep in her eyes as if trying to search for comfort but it only brought him pain. He pressed his lips against hers with tension behind his kiss. She opened her mouth and breathed in sharply. His tongue slipped inside her delicate mouth and her tongue met his. A moan escaped her lips as she thought of the extreme proximity of him naked. Her breasts slipped against his wet-chest, the feeling made her body tingle. They parted and looked at each other, not realizing that they were indeed completely naked. Arms still wrapped around each others slippery bodies and they blushed. Then Shampoo's candied voice broke the never-ending silence.

"Shampoo never love like she love Mousse." She looked down at her hands, not having the courage to look at his eyes. "If Mousse promise to stay with Shampoo all life then...", her eyes met with his. "...then, Shampoo never go away." She exhaled, feeling the weight on her shoulders slowly melt away.

Mousse laced his fingers in her damp hair and ran his hands down the tips. Then he placed his calloused hand on the nape of her neck. He traced his hand down her breasts, letting his fingers feel her skin get goosebumps and letting a moan come from her mouth. Then emerald met raspberry.

"I have always told you that you have been my world. I have always told you that I love you. There shouldn't be a doubt in your heart that I wouldn't spend the rest of my life loving you." He spoke in her ear.

She dug her face in his neck and said breathlessly, "Airen."

Mousse closed his eyes and smiled. All his life, he waited for this moment, when Shampoo called him that word. He struggled to keep a giggle in his throat as that word no longer was spoken to Ranma and was meant for him. All his.

That night, Mousse and Shampoo made love for the 1st time through the steam around them.

* * *

**I stood at my computer for a long time contemplating whether or not I should continue and write of their 'love' making but then I don't want anyone here to get offended. I thought there was already too many suggestive scenes with Ryoga and Ukyo. But if ya'll send me some reviews asking for it I will make a spectacular thirst quenching lemonade haha... Any-who I hope that I have one chapter left. I write as I think so...yeah. We'll see. Either one or two more chapters until I finish this epic story. Hope ya'll are enjoying it.**


	10. This Touch

__

Wednesday August 23,

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Its been a month since we all went to the beach. A month since Shampoo was possessed by some demon and tried to kill me. Looking back at it now it almost seems like a dream. Everything has been moving on like if it never happened. Everyone seems more happy nowadays...well almost everyone. I wouldn't include myself in that. I've just been moving along with the pace like a shadow. That's probably the best way to describe it. Since I woke from my coma things have completely changed. Ranma wont even speak to me or dare look at me in the face. I miss him, as much as I hate to say it. The only time I see him is at dinner and the rest of the time he's in the dojo sparring with Ryoga or in his room locked up. I really don't know what's wrong with him. I know he's not mad at me, we haven't even had the chance to talk let alone fight. But something else is keeping him from me. I wish I knew. With Ukyo and Ryoga's wedding getting planned it almost seems ironic that once the attention was on us. Now I'm not so sure what's going to happen in between us. I'm trying to be happy for my friends but its hard to. Their wedding just reminds me of the one we were suppose to have.

Akane sighed and stared at the paper under her palm. She had been keeping a diary to keep the pain flowing into something else than her dreams. The fact was that it was getting unbearable to be in the Tendo house and as the days came closer to Ukyo and Ryoga's wedding the more she thought of Ranma.

Ranma.

That boy that haunted her dreams and thoughts. The pig-tailed boy that always kept her safe from all harm. She couldn't understand why he always avoided her and even when she would have the chance to be near him she almost wished that he would disappear entirely. To have him so close yet far was torture.

"Hey hun!" A familiar voice came through the door.

Akane turned to look at Ukyo and Shampoo standing at her door with a stacks of papers clutched in their arms.

"Hey Ukyo. Hey Shampoo" She smiled at them. The bride-to-be walked into her room and sat in Akane's bed spreading the papers around her. Shampoo sat on the floor beside the stack of CDs near the bed looking through them.

Ukyo clapped her hands together, "Alright, I have an idea about the dress I want you guys to wear." She searched through the papers. She handed one to Akane. "I found a tailor in town and he said he would have the dresses ready in a week."

Akane stared at the paper, not exactly interested. Ukyo frowned, "Alright Sugar, what's wrong?"

"I like the dress, its beautiful." She faked her smile.

Ukyo and Shampoo looked at each other and sighed, "Akane act stupid." Shampoo looked at her, "Ranma still not talking to you?"

Akane stayed quiet and looked down at her hands. What else was new?

Ukyo placed her hand on her shoulder, "I'll tell Ryoga-honey to talk to him."

"No! No Ukyo. If he wants to talk to me then he'll do it. I don't want to force him." She swallowed up the tears forming in her eyes.

"Just like you gave me and Ryoga-honey advise I'll give you: if you two don't talk about it, its never going to get better. You can disagree with me but you know its true. My wedding is in 2 weeks and I want it to be a happy day. And it would make me happy if you and him would make up." Akane stared at her for a moment and frowned.

"Please?" Ukyo said, looking down at the papers scattered in her bed.

On the other side of Akane's door Ranma leaned his forehead on her door and sighed. He stared at the ever-smiling duck that read "Akane". He frowned.

* * *

Punch. Kick. Dodge. Block. Elbow. Knee.

Ranma panted.

"That's it for today." A sweaty and tired Ryoga slumped on the floor, Ranma joined him.

"You seemed a little sloppy today." The pointy-toothed boy said. Ranma rubbed his neck and looked at him a little annoyed.

"What do you mean 'sloppy'? I'm never sloppy." He raised an eyebrow.

"You had your focus on something else." Akane's face flashed through Ranma's mind and he frowned.

"Have you talked to her yet?" Ryoga looked down at Ranma laying flat on his back in the dojo floor. Ranma placed hands over his head and sighed.

"If you want things to change you need to talk to her." Ranma closed his eyes and imagined his kiss with Akane. He did miss her. He just felt so ashamed and scared. He couldn't look at her and only being around her made painful memories in his heart. So many times he's thought that he's lost her and if he would feel that again one more time he would die at the spot. If her being around him only threatened her life then he would rather not be around. If he disappeared then she would be safe. He couldn't live with himself. He hated himself for hurting her.

"I cant talk to her." He finally said.

Ryoga crossed his arms. "You know that you can. You know that you hate how things are going between you two."

Ranma looked at Ryoga for a long time. He knew that it was true.

"I know." His voice shook.

"If you know then why don't you do it?" Ryoga's voice grew louder.

"I---" He stood up and walked around Ryoga, searching for an answer. "Trouble follows me and you know that...I'm so tired of her getting hurt. If I wasn't around, she would be safe." He tightened his fists.

"Ranma dont say that. She's safe because of you!" He looked at him, rage was boiling his blood. "Why are you so scared to say that you love her?"

Ranma's heart was racing. His back was to Ryoga. Feeling his stare burn holes in his scalp, Ranma turned to look at his friend. Ryoga stared at him with a serious face, Ranma felt defeated.

* * *

It was late, the night was still and the street-lamps were off. The pig-tailed boy sat in the roof of the Tendo house, he had his face in-between his legs. His heart fluttered at the sounds of Akane sleeping. She always kept her window open in the summer and every night he sat in the roof listening to her. It brought peace to him to know she was alive and safe. He sighed.

__

Coward.

He ran his hands through his hair. He couldn't sleep but he felt exhausted. The next day was Ukyo and Ryoga's wedding and it amazed him how all the puzzle pieces around him were falling into place. Not his pieces, they all seemed scattered. He thought of everything that Ryoga and Mousse would tell him. "Grow the balls and talk to her." He sighed. He could defeat his greatest opponent and battle monsters but he couldn't face a short-haired Akane.

"Ranma. What are you doing up there?"

He froze as he recognized Akane's voice. His mouth went dry and his heart thumped in his throat.

"Uh..." He managed to croak.

He heard her sniffle, he knew that she was crying. He felt his heart shatter. He hung himself backwards in front of Akane's window. Her room was dark.

"Akane?" He whispered. Her sobs were muffled but he couldn't see her.

He jumped through the window inside her cool room. His eyes searched wildly for her. Then his eyes rested on the big lump on the bed.

"Akane?" He tried to keep his voice steady. The lump moved and Akane cried silently, not looking at him. Ranma sat on the floor in front of her bed, his back against the frame. Every breath seemed to choke him and her cries made him want to die.

"Please don't cry." He whispered to her and himself as silent painful tears rolled down his face.

Akane's cries died down, "Tell me why, Ranma." Desperation tainted her voice.

He stayed quiet for a long time turning the wheels in his head and trying to find the guts to talk.

"Every single day..." His voice was shaking, "I think about how it all came this way. I'm sorry Akane. For everything I couldn't do. I'm hurting myself by hurting you." He put his hands to his face trying to keep himself together. Akane sat up and looked at the back of his head, a bad feeling sat at the pit of her stomach. His shoulders shook and the clear sound of his sniffles assured her that he was crying.

"If I wasn't in your life...you would be safe. Because of me...you've almost died. I cant live with myself." He looked down at his hands and wept. Akane scoot to the edge of the bed and hung her legs over the frame. The familiar warmth of him made tears pour down her chin wildly. Ranma looked at her hanging legs next to him and then he placed his arm underneath one of her legs and touched her smooth skin. The touch brought comfort to him. Akane placed her hand on top of his head to soothe him. He exhaled and closed his eyes letting her fingers lace through his dark locks of hair. He needed her and dreamed of her constantly. Her smell haunted him and all his focus was on the painful memories. He couldn't forgive himself.

"I miss you." Akane's small voice whispered behind him. The sweetest sadness in her voice.

He sat next to her and took her hands in his. He rubbed his thumb against the skin of the back of her small hand. He didn't look at her.

"Please don't be scared." Akane looked hard at Ranma. He looked up at her searching her face for something.

"Akane." He said breathlessly. He edged his face closer to her and kissed her lightly in her lips. Akane felt a sudden pain in her chest. Despair conquered her.

"I love you so much it hurts." His voice no longer full of confidence. "I know I'm not perfect. I was stupid...I was lying to myself all these years that I didn't feel like this. I was scared to tell you and I thought you hated me. But there was no one else that I wanted. I don't want anyone to take your place because there is nobody better. I love you so much that I want to kick myself for making you cry."

Tears rolled down her face.

"Ranma, I love you too." She wrapped her arms around his neck and dug her face in his neck. "You dummy. I need you. I need you to save me."

Ranma returned her embrace and placed his chin over her head. He sighed in relief. The feeling of having her in his arms was unlike anything in the world. He was hers. He was always hers. It just took so many years for him to say the right words.

"I love you." He whispered in her ear and smiled.

* * *

**I have one more chapter left. One thing I will say that its just a closure chapter so I'll be updating soon. But whilst you wait... SEND ME REVIEWS! Thanks. .**


	11. The End

**Alright before you guys tell me crap about the wedding. Its going to seem like a traditional Christian wedding. Well it might look like it but don't worry, they decided to have a traditional Japanese wedding after the "show" wedding as they put it. Okay then...ACTION!**

* * *

"Man, don't be nervous!" Ranma straightened Ryoga's bow-tie and patted his nervous friend in the back. Ryoga pulled at his collar and swallowed.

"You look good. Ucchan would have to be crazy to not marry you." Ranma smiled at him.

Ryoga looked down at his white tuxedo. He fingered the yellow handkerchief in his chest-pocket. If one thing put him at ease was that he had to admit that he did look good.

"I can't help it being nervous." He chuckled nervously. "Well, here I go." He stepped through the doors leading out into the quaint church. Yellow and white flowers adorned the rows of benches, the small church was full of their sobbing friends and family. Ryoga stiffly walked up to the altar and stood at the foot of the stairs and stared at the end of the rows at the double doors where his bride-to-be would walk through.

He stared down at his sobbing mother and she smiled up at him. His insides went warm and fuzzy. He couldn't believe that this day was going to come and that he would end up marrying Ukyo. Through all the craziness in his life, Ukyo was what made him feel human.

Suddenly the violins began to play sweetly, he jumped in the spot and twirled his two index fingers looking at the double-doors that swung open. An ever-smiling pig-tailed boy and sapphire short-haired girl walked together with arms clutched together. They walked towards Ryoga and patted him in the shoulder before standing at either side of him. Then the Amazons walked towards him smiling. Before standing on either side of Ryoga, Shampoo hugged him tightly that nearly knocked the air out of him. And finally Kuno and Nabiki found their way next to their friends. The whole room held their breath as Ryoga's little cousin Kimiko threw flowers in the narrow path leading into the altar. Then everyone stood to their feet and stared at the double doors. Ryoga felt like his knees were going to give up at the spot. He blushed beet red. Arm clutched to his father's arm, a vision in white seemed to have taken his breath away. The dress hugged her from her chest down to her perfectly toned derriere and the fabric hung loosely in ripples to her feet. It was a simple snowy white dress with lace trimming the strapless gown. It framed her half exposed back to reveal her smooth skin. It was tasteful but not too revealing. A thin veil seemed to be part of her long flowing chocolate hair and hung like a tail behind her. He couldn't keep his eyes off her and neither could she. His insides seemed to have gone to a boiling point and his ears were humming. The music was drowned out and his hands started to sweat profusely. He anticipated her arrival and as she walked closer to him it seemed like an eternity. Ryoga's father kissed Ukyo in the hand and handed it to Ryoga, he smiled and took his seat next to his wife. Ryoga's hands shook as he took her deliquite hand, she couldn't help but smile at her blushing groom.

Through the service they looked at each other without tearing their eyes off their focus. Everything that was running through their minds is how it all came this way. From one night in the dark woods to standing in a church saying their vows to each other. It almost seemed surreal. As they concluded their union with a kiss long expected their friends and family could not be more elated. So many years they all have seen the worst of news, they were glad that finally some end was tied. Even though it wasn't Akane and Ranma's wedding, team Ranma knew that there was still many more to see.

* * *

The Tendo dojo was filled with empty cups of sake and half eaten pieces of cake and okonomiyaki. It was also filled with the many party guests that were sitting around tables talking among each other. The hum of the many voices were a thick cloud of smoke over the on-going reception. Genma and Soun precided over a poker tournament and Nadoka surveyed the players. Cologne and Happosai were focused on a heated discussion over the well-being of Nerima's women's underwear. Some very drunk Hibiki's discussed over the names that were to be given to their pending grandchildren.

Ryoga rolled his eyes and sighed, "You know, its kind of weird when my family talks about kids like if we're going to have them tomorrow." Mousse smiled at him and patted him in the back.

"Well, my friend, one day Ukyo and you will have kids."Ryoga scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Uhhh..." He turned different shades of red and his friends laughed in unison. Kuno stared at the group of girls.

"Its insane how it all came out this way." He sipped at his cup of sake.

"Yeah man, who knew that Ryoga was going to get married before me." Ranma raised an amusing eyebrow at the groom. He returned it with a solid punch to the arm.

"Are you happy?" Mousse finally spoke through a long silence. Ryoga turned to look at his wife in her stunning ivory dress and smiled.

"That's what counts. I know we've all been through some crazy stuff. And the crazier thing is that all the girls were there through all of it. Only they were as tough as us to fight beside us. Admit it guys...there is never going to be better girls than them." As Mousse said this out loud he realized it himself. They all stood silent and looked at each of their girls.

* * *

"Oh, no look now but all boys looking at girls." Shampoo eyed at the group of guys staring their way.

Akane placed her hair behind her ear looking at the guys and she turned and laughed towards her friends. "Its kind of creepy."

"Why do you suppose they're doing that? Maybe one of us has her dress stuck inside her underwear?" They all quickly smoothed out the back of their dresses, they were confused.

"Who cares? As long as those faces are for us..." Nabiki sipped at her sake cup and crossed her arms.

Shampoo coughed as her sake went down her throat wrong, "Shampoo sure that they talk about us."

"Honey, of course they are. AND so are we." Ukyo smiled at the Amazon.

They all stared at Akane as she returned Ranma's gaze for a long time.

"Shampoo guess that Akane work things out with Ranma?" She eyed her suspiciously. Akane blushed as she turned to face her friends.

"Well yeah." She said, breathlessly.

Ukyo narrowed her eyes, realizing something she clapped her hands to her mouth and gasped, "Sugar! Don't tell me you guys---?"

Realizing what she was implying, she shook her head in horror at the idea. "Ukyo! How could you think that? Of course not!"

Akane told them of the whole situation that happened in her bedroom and they all sighed sweetly.

"How sweet!" Shampoo purred.

"Sugar, I hate to say it but I TOLD YOU SO." Ukyo said.

Akane crossed her arms and sighed, looking down at her feet. She smiled to herself as she remembered the sound of Ranma saying those 3 lovely words.

"Why Akane cry?" Shampoo's sweet voice rang in Akane's ears.

She looked up at them and wiped her face and indeed there were tears rolling down her cheek.

Nabiki wrapped her arms around her sister in comfort, "Please don't cry."

"I'm happy. I really am. I still break down to imagine when---" She looked down at her hands, it was still weird to say it. After so many years of waiting it was so surreal.

"He told you he loved you." Ukyo stared hard into Akane's eyes. Shampoo jumped up and hugged her tightly.

"Then Akane no need to cry. Ranma love Akane since Shampoo could remember. Shampoo so happy!" She squeeled and hugged her again.

* * *

Kuno slapped Ranma in the back, knocking the wind out of him.

"Wake up man!" He yelled at him. Ranma shook his head as he tore his eyes off Akane.

"Why are you so pensive?" Mousse eyed the pig-tailed boy. Ranma looked around at his friends' faces.

"I---uh---" He played with a small box in his pocket nervously. Ryoga noticed and yanked at his arm to reveal a small velvet box. Ranma gulped. Mousse snatched it away from him and opened it, they all crowded around the box to look at the contents. A delicate ring with a medium sized diamond lay at the center of the velvet pillow. They all gasped and looked up at a very twitchy Ranma.

"This is for her?" Ryoga gulped.

"Well...yeah." He stuttered and looked down at his feet.

Kuno handed it to Ranma and crossed his arms. "Something happened in between you two that we don't know about."

Ryoga held out his arms to his friends separating them from Ranma, "Please please gentlemen if Ranma wishes to tell us then by all means but all we must do is be happy for him. After all, we made his life a living hell. Congratulations man." He offered his hand to his friend and Ranma took it.

"Thanks." Ranma said shyly.

Mousse sighed feeling defeated that he couldn't know the details, "Well...when are you going to do it?" They all stared at the pig-tailed boy putting him in the spot. He gulped trying to think of what to say. He scratched his head.

"Maybe after all of this." His voice shook.

Kuno smiled, "I'm glad."

"Me too." Mousse placed a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder.

Ryoga smiled at Ranma and Ranma stared back.

"For once in my life I'm sure of something. And that's her."

* * *

"Beautiful wedding." Shampoo stated as she yawned. They walked down the street towards the Cat Cafe.

Mousse laced his fingers with hers and pulled her closer to him. His lips brushed her ear and it made her shiver.

"Ours will be just as nice."

She closed her eyes and smiled to herself.

* * *

Ryoga shifted under the covers and looked at his wife. Her sapphire eyes stared back at him and she sighed. He placed his hand on her cheek and smiled at her.

"I love you, doll." She giggled and wrapped her arms around him, digging her nose in his chest.

"I love you too, Hun." Her voice was muffled. She dug her face in his neck, "Don't ever go away."

He returned her embrace, "I wont, I promise."

* * *

The night's sky was luminous as fireworks littered the darkness from the summer carnivals. Akane curled herself beside Ranma as they watched the fantastic show above. Like many nights long ago, they lay on the dojo roof but this night it was different. Ranma crossed one arm under his head and the other inside his pocket fidgeting with a small velvet box. He was nervous. Akane sighed and wrapped her arm around the pig-tailed boy. He rested his chin on top of her head and smelled her sweet scent. He smiled.

"I love you, Mama."

She brushed her lips against his into a kiss. It almost felt natural to him even though he was still having problems having her so close but he could never deny her.

"I love you too." She said breathlessly though their lips.

She lay her head on his chest looking at him, he played with her blue-hair and she smiled at him. She was beautiful, she always had been. All those times he said he hated her were the desperate cries that clearly screamed that he loved her. He pulled the small velvet box from his pocket and put it in between their laced hands.

* * *

**Well that was the end of the story. With the last paragraphs for every couple I wanted something to be said of each. With Shampoo and Mousse I wanted their final scene to be about them speaking of their wedding because as you all know Mousse's greatest goal was to be Shampoo's husband so that shows hopes for their future. With Ryoga and Ukyo I wanted their final scene to be about the whole separation anxiety that they both share since the beginning. More to Ryoga because he is the one character that always gets lost. AAAAAND with Ranma and Akane its hard to say. I wanted him to finally gets the guts to say it. He did, since the chapter before but...instead of being fiances over their parent's decision I wanted Ranma to take it up on himself to want to officially be fiances. This is how I wanted things to end from Ranma 1/2 and I hope ya'll enjoyed it. Peace.**


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